Merab Dvalishvili has effortlessly defeated Sean O’Malley in the primary occasion of the Blended Martial Artwork’s (MMA) Final Preventing Championship (UFC) 316 evening in New Jersey, United States (US), securing a third-round modified choke win of their rematch to retain the bantamweight championship.
With United States President Donald Trump watching from cageside on Saturday, Dvalishvili (win-loss document of 20-4 MMA) emphatically displayed his wrestling base to tire out the previous champion and make an argument as one of many sport’s finest bantamweights, maybe of all time.
Dvalishvili, who received at 4:42 of the third spherical for his thirteenth consecutive victory, mentioned he would welcome his subsequent title defence in opposition to Cory Sandhagen (win-loss document of 18-5 in MMA), a winner of 4 of his final 5 fights.
“You’re the person, let’s go,” Dvalishvili mentioned, indicating that he could be involved in combating Sandhagen subsequent.
O’Malley confirmed the loss is a minor setback, reassuring of a gradual return. “100%, thanks guys for popping out,” he mentioned.
The ladies’s bantamweight title modified fingers within the co-main occasion, as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Pena with a second-round kimura.
Harrison and Pena embraced within the Octagon afterwards, displaying utmost class for each other after Harrison managed each facet of the combat. Harrison mentioned throughout her post-fight interview that her weight lower was so draining on Thursday evening that she “needed to give up”, however it will have been a mistake in her eyes, given that the majority fighters in MMA don’t win a UFC title.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell quick in opposition to Raoni Barcelos in a lacklustre affair by unanimous determination, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
In middleweight motion, Mansur Abdul-Malik earned a technical determination over Cody Brundage 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Abdul-Malik almost had a third-round whole knockout 36 seconds in, however an unintended conflict of heads modified the course of the combat, thus needing the judges to intervene.
Later, at UFC Combat Evening in Atlanta, Kamaru Usman returned to profitable methods as he defeated Joaquin Buckley 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 in a unanimous determination in the primary occasion.
“These knockouts will come,” Usman mentioned after his win. “I simply wanted to get that monkey off my again.”
The primary two rounds of the headline welterweight attraction noticed Usman (win-loss document of 21-4 in MMA) pitch the equal of a shutout, effortlessly taking Buckley (win-loss document of 21-7 in MMA) down and utilising his ground-and-pound to outstrike the St Louis, US, native 16-0 within the important strikes class.
Spherical 3 began robust for Buckley as he discovered his placing vary earlier than Usman achieved his third takedown in 4 makes an attempt. Spherical 4 was totally on the toes, as Buckley landed his finest combos of the combat however couldn’t safe a comeback end. Usman took Buckley down once more, securing the again mount place because the spherical ended.
Spherical 5 noticed each males commerce blows, but it surely was too little, too late for Buckley, who had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped. It was Usman’s first win since he held the title in November 2021.
Buckley was gracious in defeat, struggling his first loss at welterweight.
“We’re simply getting began, child,” Buckley mentioned. “We’ll be again.”
The co-main occasion additionally wanted the playing cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a extremely aggressive unanimous determination, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick.
In middleweight, Edmen Shahbazyan almost completed Andre Petroski with a would-be third-round whole knockout earlier than strolling away with a unanimous determination, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The win marked Shahbazyan’s first stretch of back-to-back wins since 2019, his first determination win since 2018.
The UFC’s schedule goes worldwide with a Combat Evening instalment per week from Saturday in Azerbaijan, headlined by a light-weight heavyweight non-championship five-rounder between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA) and ex-title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr (14-6 MMA).