Kayla Harrison Makes Her UFC Title Shot Debut; Ian Machado Garry Faces Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City
UFC 316 is set to deliver a thrilling night of championship action on June 7, 2025, when the event returns to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The headline bout features bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili facing off in a highly anticipated rematch against Sean O’Malley. In the co-main event, Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will make her first attempt at a UFC title, taking on two-time champion Julianna Peña for the women’s bantamweight crown.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley Rematch at UFC 316
Dvalishvili and O’Malley previously clashed at UFC 306 in September 2024 in a fight that saw the Georgian fighter claim the bantamweight title with a dominant performance. Utilizing his elite grappling skills, Dvalishvili overwhelmed O’Malley, securing a unanimous decision victory that ended O’Malley’s brief reign as champion. Since that loss, O’Malley has remained out of the public eye, preparing for his return to the cage at UFC 316 in hopes of reclaiming the title. Dvalishvili, on the other hand, defended his title earlier this year at UFC 311, defeating Umar Nurmagomedov in another unanimous decision victory.
Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison: Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Julianna Peña will put her bantamweight title on the line against Kayla Harrison, who is stepping into her first UFC title shot. Peña, the current champion, reclaimed her belt in October 2024 at UFC 307, narrowly defeating Raquel Pennington via split decision. Meanwhile, Harrison, who is a former Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion, enters this fight with an impressive UFC record of 2-0, including a dominant win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307.
UFC Kansas City: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates
In addition to the UFC 316 updates, the UFC also announced changes to the UFC Kansas City event scheduled for April 26, 2025. The originally planned light heavyweight main event between Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. has been scrapped due to an injury to Hill. In place of this bout, welterweight contenders Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates will meet in a high-stakes showdown. Prates, who was initially set to face Geoff Neal at UFC 314, now looks to extend his undefeated streak to 12 fights, while Garry is determined to bounce back from his first career loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov last December.
UFC 316 Fight Card
- Bantamweight Championship: (C) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley
- Women’s Bantamweight Championship: (C) Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison
- Bantamweight: Marlon Vera vs. Mario Bautista
- Flyweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van
Stay tuned for more updates as UFC 316 approaches, featuring some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts battling for glory
