Dana White says feels he can work with the powers that be in boxing. USATSI_12524553_168388457_lowres

UFC 316 Card- Dana White Reveals Huge Main And Co-Main Events!!!

Dana White announces the main and the co-main event for the upcoming UFC 316 PPV card and it has not one, but 2 massive title fights!

Dana White says feels he can work with the powers that be in boxing. USATSI_12524553_168388457_lowres

UFC fans, get ready for an exciting night of championship fights! The UFC has just announced the headlining bouts for UFC 316, set to take place on June 7th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (same arena in which UFC 302 was held). This card features not one but two title fights that promise to deliver tremendous action and potentially reshape both divisions.

MMA has come a long way since the early UFC days. The bantamweight division especially has seen incredible growth in recent years, becoming one of the most exciting weight classes in the organization. With technical striking, lightning-fast movements, and incredible grappling exchanges, 135-pound fighters consistently deliver memorable performances that keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Also Read: Ilia Topuria Reveals The “Promise” Made With Him In Exchange For Giving Up The Featherweight Belt

UFC 316 Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2

The headline bout of UFC 316 features a rematch that many didn’t expect to happen so quickly. Merab Dvalishvili will defend his 135-pound title against former champion Sean O’Malley. Their first meeting in September was quite one-sided, with Dvalishvili using his superior wrestling to dominate O’Malley to capture the title by unanimous decision.

Since then, Dvalishvili has already defended his belt once. The Georgian fighter showed tremendous heart in January when he defeated the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov by decision. At 34, ‘The Machine’ has proven to be a force in the division with his relentless pressure and seemingly endless cardio.

🚨 BREAKING: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2 is the UFC 316 main event on June 7th, per Dana White pic.twitter.com/hbvBo1ikpA
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 1, 2025

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old O’Malley hasn’t competed since losing his title, making this immediate rematch somewhat controversial. Many fans questioned whether ‘Sugar’ deserves another shot so soon, especially considering his own title reign included just one defense against Marlon Vera in a rematch that some also considered unmerited at the time. O’Malley originally won the title in 2023 with a shocking knockout of Aljamain Sterling. However, now he will need to show significant improvements to reclaim his belt from the man who made it look easy against him.

UFC 316 Co-Main Event: Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison

The co-main event of UFC 316 features another compelling title fight as Julianna Pena defends her women’s bantamweight championship against Olympic judoka and former PFL champion Kayla Harrison. This marks Pena’s first defense in her second reign as champion.

Julianna Pena’s career has been quite the rollercoaster. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ first shocked the world in December 2021 when she submitted the seemingly invincible Amanda Nunes to win the title. Though she lost the immediate rematch to Nunes by decision, Pena managed to reclaim the belt last October with a narrow victory over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307. At 35, she’s looking to establish a more lasting championship reign this time around.

Julianna Peña will defend her women's bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 in Newark, Dana White announced. pic.twitter.com/jJtrIKINaP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 1, 2025

Her opponent, the 34-year-old Harrison, brings an impressive pedigree to the octagon. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo and dominated the PFL before signing with the UFC last April. She has been perfect in her UFC career thus far, submitting former champion Holly Holm in her debut and then outpointing Ketlen Vieira at the same UFC 307 event where Pena won her title. This clash of styles between Pena’s gritty determination and Harrison’s world-class grappling promises to deliver fireworks in what could be a star-making performance for either woman!

(Image Credit: USA TODAY – Imagn Images)

Dana White

Julianna Pena

Kayla Harrison

Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley

UFC 316

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!