UFC Event 316 Outcome: Sean O'Malley Now Faces Single Remaining Choice
Sean O'Malley finds himself in a tricky predicament. After two straight losses to Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC's bantamweight division, the champ is giving him nightmares. Following their second encounter at Noche UFC, Dvalishvili was even more dominant.
Dvalishvili, quite frankly, is a headache for any bantamweight, and O'Malley is no exception. To put it bluntly, the guy's a tough nut to crack. In their latest bout, Dvalishvili successfully defended his title via a third-round submission.
With two consecutive losses to Dvalishvili, it's looking like O'Malley's only viable option if he wants to resurface in championship glory is to make the move up to featherweight.
Staying put in the 135-pound division won't do him any good. Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan both seem more likely to get their title shot ahead of O'Malley. Waiting years for another title shot? That's a big fat maybe.
O'Malley's still a draw, and the crowd in New Jersey showed their support loud and clear. But finding a decent dance partner in the bantamweight division who's below him in the pecking order might be challenging. Plus, it doesn't make much sense for him to stick around.
Moving up to the featherweight division, on the other hand, could land him a high-profile fight. At 5-foot-11, the 30-year-old O'Malley isn't too small for the 145-pound weight class. In fact, he might have a shot against at least 10 fighters in the featherweight rankings.
And the potential foes in the featherweight division? There's a whole world of interesting fights out there for O'Malley. Matches against the likes of Josh Emmett, Yair Rodriguez, Jean Silva, Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling (rematch), or Diego Lopes at the main event on a pay-per-view card? You bet!
After the disappointing loss, a disheartened but respectful O'Malley stated he was heading home to regroup. It's not far-fetched to expect an announcement about his move to the featherweight division before his next fight.
UFC 316 Results
- (c) Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O'Malley by submission (ninja choke) at 4:42 of Round 3 - Dvalishvili retains his title
- Kayla Harrison defeats (c) Julianna Peña by submission (kimura) at 4:55 of Round 2 - Harrison is the new UFC women's bantamweight champion
- Joe Pyfer defeats Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
- Mario Bautista defeats Patchy Mix by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kevin Holland defeats Vicente Luque by submission (D'arce choke) at 1:03 of Round 2
- Joshua Van defeats Bruno Silva by TKO (strikers) at 4:01 of Round 3
- Azamat Murzakanov defeats Brendson Ribeiro by TKO (strikes) at 3:25 of Round 1
- Waldo Cortes Acosta defeats Serghei Spivac by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andreas Gustafsson defeats Khaos Williams by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Wang Cong defeats Ariane da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- JooSang Yoo defeats Jeka Saragih by KO (left hook) at 0:28 of Round 1
- Quillan Salkilld defeats Yanal Ashmouz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- MarQuel Mederos defeats Mark Choinski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
UFC 316 Bonus Winners
Dvalishvili, Harrison, Kevin Holland, and JooSang Yoo.
In the realm of mixed-martial-arts sports, Sean O'Malley deliberates a shift after two consecutive losses in UFC's bantamweight division. Moving up to the featherweight division could potentially grant him high-profile fights against competitors like Josh Emmett, Yair Rodriguez, Jean Silva, Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, or Diego Lopes, which could lead to main event spots on pay-per-view cards. Interestingly, Dvalishvili, Harrison, Kevin Holland, and JooSang Yoo were the UFC 316 bonus winners.
