Overview

• Merab Dvalishvili seeks a third straight UFC bantamweight title defence and enters UFC316 with a 12-fight win streak following victories over O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov.
• Former champion Sean O’Malley has spent his training camp sharpening his wrestling under Demetrious Johnson and Israel Adesanya and will have his father in his corner.
• In the co-main event, Julianna Peña puts her women’s bantamweight crown on the line against former Olympic judoka Kayla Harrison, who is a heavy betting favourite after recent decisive wins.
• A ruling by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board bars 12-to-6 elbows on grounded opponents, reviving a prohibition that once resulted in Jon Jones’s only career loss.
• Odds-makers favour Dvalishvili to retain by decision, casting O’Malley as the underdog despite his vow to overturn their first clash with knockout power.