The main event and co-main event for UFC 316, which will be taking place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, were recently announced. The UFC will be making its pay-per-view return to New Jersey on Saturday, June 7, around a year since its last appearance.
UFC last came to the Prudential Center in June 2024, where #1 pound-for-pound fighter and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier. A former champ in Sean Strickland also defeated his opponent, Paulo Costa, during the co-main event. This June, the UFC will be bringing in another title fight to the venue.
In the main event, UFC men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his belt against Sean O’Malley, while UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña defends her belt against Kayla Harrison. These are the only two fights to be announced on the card, but the fighters are already bringing the star power.
The main event will feature a rematch between Dvalishvili and O’Malley, who fought in Sept. 2024 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, one of the UFC’s most daring and bold ventures. Dvalishvili defeated O’Malley by unanimous decision and Dvalishvili has since defended his title once already. As O’Malley, one of the sport’s biggest names, gets his opportunity for revenge, he will have to get past the hot Dvalishvili.
The co-main event sees Kayla Harrison get her highly-anticipated UFC title shot. Despite having her first fight within the organization in April 2024, Harrison is a world-class martial artist and the only American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.
After gaining 2 wins in the UFC over the past year, she will be given an opportunity to hold the title of Olympic gold medalist and UFC champion. However, Peña is no stranger to crushing fighters’ dreams, as she infamously ended Amanda Nunes’ women’s record 12-fight winning streak.
As the rest of the card comes together, it will be apparent which fights the organizations will choose to bring to the Garden State. Though, the main and co-main event already bring a stacked group of fighters to New Jersey.
To learn more about UFC 316, visit ufc.com.