UFC CEO Dana White recently announced UFC 316 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Headlining the event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will face former champ Sean O'Malley for the second time since UFC 306 at The Sphere.
The 55-year-old also announced Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison as the co-main event for the women's bantamweight division. The Spokane native is scheduled to defend her title against the Olympic gold medalist in her second championship reign.
In an exciting video, White said:
"Merab is looking for his second title defense after a dominant performance against Umar Nurmagomedov, Merab is on a 12-fight win streak. He has beat former champions like [Sean] O'Malley, [Henry] Cejudo, [Petr]Yan, [José] Aldo, and he holds the UFC bantamweight records for win-streak, most takedowns landed, and total control time."
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White continued:
"Peña is 'The Ultimate Fighter season 18' winner. Has wins over former champions Raquel Pennington, and the GOAT Amanda Nunes."
UFC 306 Riyadh Season witnessed Dvalishvili's performance against then-champion O'Malley. After emerging victorious via a unanimous decision, the Georgian contender is scheduled to defend it against 'Suga' for the second time.
Dana White announces replacement for UFC Kansas City
Apart from UFC 316, Dana White also announced Ian Garry vs. Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City. The originally scheduled fight between Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree had to be canceled due to an injury from 'Sweet Dreams.'
After his loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov, Garry looks for a redemption fight. Although Prates is currently an undefeated contender in the UFC, the Irishman predicts to break the record on April 26. On an Instagram live session, the 55-year-old CEO had this to say:
"The new main event for Kansas City is gonna be five rounds, between Ian Garry and Carlos Prates. Prates came off the Contender Series, undefeated since coming into the UFC, he is on an 11-fight win streak, with ten straight knockouts. This guy is an absolute beast."
White continued:
"What I love about this fight, other than its a great fight was Ian Garry's mentality going into this fight. He believes that Prates is the most dangerous guy in the division, and he loved the matchup. He wanted this fight."
Check out Dana White's comments below (1:30):