Dvalishvili’s triumph came after Kayla Harrison dethroned Julianna Pena in the co-main event to become the UFC’s bantamweight queen, submitting Pena in the second to live up to her favourable odds and join Cejudo as only the second athlete ever to boast an Olympic gold medal and UFC gold on their resume.

In the UFC 316 main event, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) even more emphatically than he did the first time the two fought, as he retained his title via North-South neck crank. The stoppage came at 4:42 of Round 3.

Merab Dvalishvili just kept coming at Sean O'Malley, ultimately submitting him in Round 3 to remain bantamweight champ Saturday night at UFC 316.