UFC 316 Preview Roundtable: Is this the end if Sean O'Malley loses to Merab Dvalishvili again?

When UFC returns to New Jersey this weekend, it’s a lightweight showcase, in the men’s and women’s 135-pound division, title. On the men's side, it's a rematch as "Suga" Sean O'Malley tries to win the championship he lost at UFC 306 against Merab Dvalishvili in September. On the women’s side, it’s a new era to greet as Olympic judo’s Kayla Harrison became the mission to win the UFC title, a huge favorite to overthrow Julianna Peña.

Or is it the dawn of a new era?

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Let's go from five burning questions to UFC 316.

1. Sean O'Malley gave up on his favorite pastimes - marijuana, social media, masturbation - to better focus on this rematch. He's all there! If he loses, is this the end of "Suga Show"?

Petesy Carroll: This will be the end of my day, man. I was confused by all this. Of course, two of these three things are the basic elements of the “suga” brand, and then coupled with the abandonment of social media…I’m kidding. OK, kind of, O'Malley is joining golf now, or is he doing something to fill the gap? Is he crochet? Did he get a New York Times subscription and start playing Sudoku? It felt like he treated the battle. That said, if he loses, I want him to go to lightweight, go back to his old puffy, typing,… well, you get it, he'll start doing all these things again, right?

Chuck is all: Didn’t you feel that “suga” Sean is forever, like 26? Strangely, he is now 30, and that was in the era when we like to say fighter jets “at their peak.” If he could clear Merab's obstacles, I think he would go back violently to that stellar region where he was and be humbled on the sphere, and he sacrificed all these vices for this battle, which was the heart of his existence.

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I also think that if he loses, he will go up to lightweight because there is nothing behind Merab's eight goals. With someone like O'Malley, there are many options, and I believe he just assumed to avoid it.

LAS Vegas, Nevada - September 14: (RL) Sean O'Malley of Georgia strikes Merab Dvalishvili at the UFC BantamWeight Championship at the UFC UFC event held on September 14, 2024 at LAS VEGAS in Nevada, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

What happens if he should lose to Merab Dvalishvili's "Suga" Sean O'Malley again? (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

(Chris unger by Getty Image)

2. Are you upset by the lack of calories in this rematch? Merab and O'Malley respect so much in leadership, didn't they?

Chuck: The last time was different because O'Malley held the title and saw Merab as the trouble to be solved…we all know he was more than just a trouble. All the shots they shot each other were more interesting than anything else, strictly for entertainment purposes. I didn't feel a lot of real heat except for Tim Welch's contribution to the mix.

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This time it's Very Quiet. Not only does it work with the principal, but overall. I haven't heard anyone outside of MMA Spectrum mentioning O'Malley is fighting this weekend, which is shocking, isn't it?

Petesy: Honestly, "Lack of Cataly" may be the title of the Netflix documentary, which is the UFC starting in 2025. I don't know if this has anything to do with the dynamic transition between the lads, like it's just fan fatigue at this point. Becoming a UFC fan in 2025 is like a semi-conspiracy relationship. Regardless of the bets, intrigues or abilities displayed on these cards, you want you to give up your life one day a week.

When a real good guy comes up, I think it's hard for everyone to turn into "excited" gear. I do think it's a really good card, but I don't remember the last time we were all making money in our mouths to do UFC pay-per-view. Of course, this is not in five months, which is sad. All in all, I guess it's the situation that's more disturbing than anything else, but the reply on X will convince me that I'm a tired old fool who needs to lose weight, but that's the point.

3. What is the path for Julianna Peña to beat the big favorite Kayla Harrison?

Petesy: I wouldn't let Julianna Peña disrespect my nationality, or what she said I want to be nailed by Kayla Harrison, my opinion on this about this, Chuck. But, as we all know, a little man will. You ask her why she made such a claim? Well, that's because I'm the only person who chooses in the entire host of "Ariel Helwani Show" - *Checkout Notes* - Challenger's biggest bet favorite in UFC history, in this case Harrison, raised his hand on Saturday night.

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Anyway, I think Peña can definitely get the job done. We've seen her shock before the matchup against Amanda Nunes, and if she could keep the fight standing and put the lead on Harrison's face, the Olympic gold medalist might do a lot at the start of the championship game.

Let the record show that I don't think this will happen.

Chuck: Did Juliana really say all this? About fixing? Damn, I must have missed that part. One of the reasons she won twice in the sport is because she has few such challenges and packed them in her own determination. No one has a chip like the “Venezuelan shrew” and I appreciate your stick with the gun.

I am the same as Harrison, as always. Ultimately, how much will it take to lose weight to her? Now, she has been living on a restrictive diet for over a year, and dropping to 135 pounds is a frequent hell. One of them, it will come back and bite her, and we will hear it. Will this time?

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I think Harrison will win this fight because I think she will take it to the ground and work there. But, I would say that Penia is a living dog. We see Ketlen Vieira survive and see the scorecard with Harrison, which makes her look…inevitable. What if she can't fight where she wants it? Things may get interesting soon.

Honolulu, Hawaii - April 19: Spot Mix speaks for the Bulbsweight Grand Prix champion champion at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 19, 2023. (Photography by Matt Davies/pximages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Blotch Mix (20-1, 2 KOS) is the former Bellator BantamWeaight Championship, debuting at UFC on UFC 316 (Photography by Getty Images by Matt Davies/pximages/pximages/Icon Sportswire)

(Icon Sportswire via Getty Image)

4. Among all the Bellator fighters coming to the UFC, where did you rank the spots before fighting Mario Bautista?

Chuck: Over the years, we've seen some good ones, including Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler and Alexander Volkov, as well as Patricio Pitbull, Aaron Pico and Michael "Venom" pages. I would put the mixture of spots in one of the piles because he is still at his peak.

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He is 31 years old and just won all the cylinders in seven consecutive battles. He's not as hurt as Alvarez and Chandler (who deals a lot with each other) and his proof as a former champion is more proof than Pico. If Mix beats Bautista, he will likely bounce into the top space to challenge the championship, and I think he will get a shot sometime in the near future.

Petesy: I think he might be the best. In the past, it was once great, as Alvarez continued to win the lightweight championship after the transition. Eddie was one year younger than Patchy when he took action, but I also think he joined a lightweight division that isn't as healthy as the current situation we've seen in the blistering class at UFC. It might not be fair to Eddie, as he had to pass Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis before taking advantage of Rafael dos Anjos, but I really felt it was one of the most powerful box offices ever.

If the spots aren't the best, I'll make him Eddie a second time, but I'm looking forward to his big thing.

5. Another fight on UFC 316 is guaranteed to deliver?

Petesy: Luque vs. Holland says chaos. Speaking of confusion or spelling variants, Khaos Williams and Andreas Gustafsson could be a bigger thing, too. As we discuss the topic of guaranteed offer, for me, the most exciting part of the entire damn night will be with you and your big Homie Helwani to have a live show on YouTube for our 3PAC post-strike deal! Yes, that was a blatant plug and I can only apologize. See you there, Mith!

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Chuck: Blatant plug, I love it - no apology. It's great to bring the gang back together. I'll see if I can use a word with two yappers, but will I know one thing we'll discuss? The return of Kelvin Gastellum.

I'm young, of course. (How does Gastelum appear on these cards? His nickname should be "cockroach" because you can't kill him.)

They think there is a reason Luque-Holland fights on top of PPV, and it's not because they are excellent technicians, Petesy. It is less concerned with the title shot or any secular structure proposed by the UFC, their entire task is to remove it all. It was a battle with almost no perceived bets, and it was some serious Chris Leben territory. Actions are the only goal. To broadcast live and perform. I think this can provide.