Sean O’Malley Seeks to Regain Championship at UFC 316
The highly anticipated UFC 316 event is just around the corner, and the excitement is at its peak. In the main event, Sean O’Malley will face Merab Dvalishvili in a match for the men’s bantamweight championship.
In the co-main event, Julianna Peña will defend her women’s bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison. Peña, after a split decision victory over Raquel Pennington, will seek to maintain her reign. Harrison, for her part, comes to the fight after defeating Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision.
Expert Analysis and Predictions
To analyze the event, Alofoke Deportes consulted MMA experts such as Din Thomas and Anthony Smith, who shared their predictions for the main event.
Men’s Bantamweight Championship
This [prediction] has nothing to do with O’Malley. I think to beat Merab, you have to be the bantamweight version of the late Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. There has to be that one-punch power that turns out the lights. O’Malley fights very well at a distance, but I don’t think Merab will give him space to do what he does best. – Anthony Smith
It will be a little closer and more competitive than his first [fight], but I think Merab’s intensity will be a bit too much for O’Malley. And, ultimately, O’Malley won’t be able to stay on his feet. – Din Thomas
Betting Analysis
The Alofoke Deportes betting expert, Ian Parker, offers his analysis on the main event: Parker: Dvalishvili to win by decision (-170). It’s hard to imagine this rematch being different from the first fight. Since then, Dvalishvili has successfully defended against an elite wrestler in Nurmagomedov, while O’Malley has been inactive, waiting for this opportunity. Unless O’Malley surprises the champion and knocks him out, I expect this to be a typical Dvalishvili fight. Expect him to execute continuous takedowns and apply pressure at a threatening pace throughout the five rounds. To make the price more manageable, you can choose for Dvalishvili to win by decision.Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Julianna is going to spend too much time trying to strike, and it’s not going to work. She’ll end up on her back, where I see her eating too many elbows. – Din Thomas
I think Julianna fights a lot in the gray areas, hitting in the clinches and takedowns. I don’t think she can win those situations and win enough of those moments to beat Kayla. I think it will be competitive at times and Julianna will attack Kayla’s gas tank, but Kayla will win more moments over the course of five rounds. – Anthony Smith
Betting Analysis
Parker: Under 4.5 rounds (+125). Harrison is the biggest betting favorite in the event, which is rare for the challenger in a title fight. Although Peña is tough, unless Harrison gasses out to the point where she can’t execute a takedown, it’s hard to imagine her not finishing Peña. Once Harrison takes the fight to the ground, Peña will be in a world of trouble, just fighting to survive. At some point, Harrison’s takedowns and top pressure will be too much.Best Parker Bets on the Rest of the Card
Men’s Bantamweight: Mario Bautista vs. Patchy MixMix to win (-185). Mix debuts against Bautista, who has a seven-fight win streak. This matchup should have a lot of fun grappling exchanges. If this fight stays standing, it’s a toss-up. However, if Mix can put Bautista on his back, he will take control. Mix may be the best grappler in the world at 135 pounds, and I think his skills will be on full display.
Heavyweight: Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-AcostaSpivac to win (-150). Spivac is a close favorite at -150, which is surprising, as I think he should be a -200 or even more. Standing, Spivac is the more skilled striker, and he has an excellent ground game that Cortes-Acosta won’t be able to defend. As long as Spivac stays away from Cortes-Acosta’s power, he should be able to close the distance and use his grappling advantage to get the win.
