The UFC Bantamweight Championship will be on the line when top-ranked Sean O’Malley will look to get back into the win column when he battles Merab Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 on Saturday. The main UFC 316 fight card is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Dvalishvili is coming off a unanimous decision win over Umar Nurmagonmedov when he defended his UFC title at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. This will be O’Malley’s first fight since losing his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 306 this past September.
Dvalishvili enters as the favorite at -285 (risk $285 to win $100), while O’Malley is the underdog at +230 in the latest UFC 316 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. In the co-main event, second-ranked Kayla Harrison is the -625 favorite against Julianna Pena (+455) in a women’s bantamweight title bout. Before locking in any UFC 316 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly-analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since making his debut in January 2023 with a 5-0 record for UFC 283. In fact, he’s up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card sports betting picks. His other highlights include calling an upset for Sean O’Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card, and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Dustin Poirier (+190) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130).
Now, Vithlani has studied UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 from every angle and revealed his top betting picks and best bets. If you’re wanting to make picks, also be sure to see the latest DraftKings promo code, FanDuel promo code and BetMGM promo code .
Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley preview
Dvalishvili has dominated since dropping two in a row in late 2017 and early 2018. After losing by technical submission to Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee on April 21, 2018, he has rattled off 12 wins in a row. The 34-year-old is No. 4 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. He is a one-time Performance of the Night winner and has earned Fight of the Night honors twice.
He has registered the most unanimous decision wins in UFC bantamweight division history with 10, and is tied with three other fighters for the most unanimous decision wins in UFC history with 11. Since turning pro in January 2014, he has compiled a 19-4 overall record. He has three wins by knockout, one by submission and 15 by decision. His last five fights have been decided by unanimous decision. Check out SportsLine to see his picks and analysis.
O’Malley, 30, has also had a dominant career. After turning pro in March 2015, he rattled off 12 consecutive wins before suffering his first loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in June 2020. He rebounded to win six of his next seven matches, which included one no contest. In August 2023, he won the UFC bantamweight championship with a knockout of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.
He successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March 2024. He then lost his title six months later to Dvalishvili. In 21 career matches, he is 18-2 with one no contest. He has registered 12 wins by knockout, one by submission and five by decision. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 predictions
We’ll reveal one of Vithlani’s UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 selections here: Cong Wang (-575) to defeat Ariane Da Silva (+425) in a women’s flyweight matchup on the preliminary card.
“The highly touted prospect Wang will be looking to start a win streak,” Vithlani told SportsLine. “Wang is a talented kickboxer with great explosiveness. After an impressive knockout victory in her UFC debut, Wang took a disappointing loss as a large betting favorite. She rebounded nicely in her last fight, and perhaps that loss was necessary experience in her young 7-1 MMA career. She will take a tough test in Da Silva, who is a dangerous grappler. Da Silva has also improved her striking skill and has solid punching power. Wang’s speed should keep her a step quicker than Da Silva in the kickboxing exchanges. Wang has plenty of grappling skill to boot, so I see her passing this test and continuing to develop her promising career.” See who else to back here.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley main fight card, odds
Vithlani has strong picks for Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley and other bouts on the UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 card. He’s also backing a fighter whose “physicality and grappling skills are unmatched” to pull off a massive win. He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 main fight card, odds
See picks at SportsLine.
Odds subject to change
Merab Dvalishvili (-285) vs. Sean O’Malley (+230)
Julianna Pena (+455) vs. Kayla Harrison (-625)
Kelvin Gastelum (+310) vs. Joe Pyfer (-395)
Patrick Mix (-180) vs. Mario Bautista (+150)
Vicente Luque (+160) vs. Kevin Holland (-192)
