Before Dvalishvili’s title reign began, he refused to fight for a belt due to his teammate Aljamain Sterling’s time as the division’s champion. Dvalishvili and Sterling’s refusal to fight each other annoyed White, leading to O’Malley getting a quick ascent to a title shot.

Merab Dvalishvili believes that a fight against Alexandre Pantoja would be one that the people would be interested in.

The UFC 316 card came to a thrilling conclusion at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where fans witnessed a night packed with high-stakes moments. Kayla Harrison captured gold in dominant fashion,

Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round submission win over Sean O'Malley to retain his bantamweight title at UFC 316 on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison also winning by submission in the co-main event,