UFC 316: What can Sean O'Malley do different in the rematch?
Michael Bolton
Sean O'Malley will attempt to win back the bantamweight title when he faces Merab Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 316.
In the first fight between the pair at UFC 306, Dvalishvili won in a dominant performance to capture the belt from O'Malley, who could not live with the wrestling of the Georgian fighter.
Since then, Dvalishvili defended the belt against the highly rated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, becoming the first fighter to defeat the Dagestan title challenger.
Unbeaten in his last 12 fights, nobody has been able to live with the pace Dvalishvili puts on his opponents with his stamina arguably the best in the sport.
[caption id="attachment_1770841" align="alignnone" width="819"]img Photo: Sofacore.[/caption]
With wins over Jose Aldo, Henry Cejudo, O'Malley and Nurmagomedov, he is up there with some of the greatest the sport has seen at 135 pounds.
There may not be a clear path to victory for O'Malley, but if he is to cause the upset, it will be early and via knockout.
It's a big if, but if he can keep the early rounds standing and frustrate Dvalishvili in the grappling, he may find the opportunity to put Dvalishvili in trouble.
One of the biggest superstars in the sport, his online presence has been notably quieter, a sign of a more focused O'Malley, who is aware of the challenges that await him.
In the co-main event at UFC 316, Julianna Pena begins her second reign as champions when she faces Kayla Harrison.
Pena defeated Raquel Pennington at UFC 307, in what was her first fight since losing the belt at UFC 277 to Amanda Nunes.
Pena shocked the sporting world when she defeated Nunes at UFC 269 to win the belt, so she knows she can rise to the biggest of occasions.
However, going into the fight, many see Harrison as the favourite. An Olympic champion at wrestling, Harrison dominated in the PFL, and already has wins in the UFC over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, she has shown she can perform at UFC level.
In what was one of the biggest UFC signings in years, having Harrison as a UFC champion would be huge for the sport.
Elsewhere on the main card, Patchy Mix makes his introduction to the UFC when he takes on Mario Bautista in the bantamweight division.
A champion in Bellator, Miz already has wins over the likes of Sergio Petitis and Magomed Magomedov, he has already got some huge wins in his career.
With 13 of his wins coming via submission, he is always a danger on the ground and will capitalise on any mistake.
However, he will face another fighter who enjoys a scramble on the ground in Bautista, whose last win was against Jose Aldo at UFC 307.
With both fighters so could on the ground, there could be a temptation to keep this standing, in what should be a fascinating encounter.