Philippines, 06 Apr 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


UFC® RETURNS TO PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY WITH BLOCKBUSER CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER

PhilBoxing.com





FEATURED BOUTS:
(C) MERAB DVALISHVILI vs. (#1) SEAN O’MALLEY
(C) JULIANNA PENA vs. (#2) KAYLA HARRISON

UFC® 316: DVALISHVILI vs. O’MALLEY 2
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 18

Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Newark, N.J. with another stacked card, headlined by a pair of blockbuster championship bouts. In the main event, reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili rematches with former title holder and No. 1 ranked contender Sean O’Malley. The co-main event will see women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena defend her newly won belt against No. 2 ranked Kayla Harrison.

UFC® 316: DVALISHVILI vs. O’MALLEY 2 takes place Saturday, June 7 at Prudential Center, with the main card available on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims will be available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+, at 8p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The early prelims will kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.

UFC® returns to Prudential Center after setting the venue’s live sporting event gate record in 2024 with UFC® 302 headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. UFC® 316: DVALISHVILI vs. O’MALLEY 2 will mark the eleventh UFC event at the famed arena dating back to 2007.

UFC® 316: DVALISHVILI vs. O’MALLEY 2 will go on sale this Friday, April 18 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

“NJSEA, the city of Newark and Prudential Center continue to be great partners to us,” said Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President of Event Development and Operations, UFC. “Makhachev vs. Poirier was one of our top fights last year and set the gate record at this famed arena. We’re thrilled to be returning for the third year in a row. I know UFC 316 will be another special night.”

“New Jersey is proud to be a premium entertainment destination for visitors across the country and world,” said Governor Phil Murphy. "We are excited to welcome the UFC back to Newark, bringing an incredible experience to thousands of fans while also generating economic activity for the region.”

“Hosting UFC in Newark for the third year in a row shows that our city rises to the same level of excitement as the event’s electrifying fight card,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “It is an honor to be selected and to welcome fans from all across the globe to deliver the perfect one-two-punch of hospitality and entertainment.”

“For the third consecutive year, Prudential Center is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to welcome our partners at UFC back to Newark,” said Tad Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. “UFC 316 promises to be another record-breaking night as Prudential Center continues to deliver as a destination for marquee events. We look forward to hosting fans from all over the world for the next unforgettable night in New Jersey’s rich combat sports history.”

Dvalishvili (19-4, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia) looks to leave no doubt that he is the best bantamweight on the planet. The first Georgian-born champion in UFC history, Dvalishvili is currently on an 11-fight win streak, the longest in UFC bantamweight history, which includes victories over Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo. He now intends to further etch his name into the record books with another dominant performance.

Former champion O’Malley (18-2, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) makes his return to the Octagon for the first time since dropping the title to Dvalishvili last September. An elite and exciting striker with the most post-fight bonuses in UFC bantamweight history (9), he has entertained fans with finishes of Aljamain Sterling, Raulian Paiva and Kris Moutinho. O’Malley now plans to regain UFC gold by taking out Dvalishvili with a vintage showing.

Pena (12-5, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) seeks to make her second reign as bantamweight champion a historic one. The first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter, Pena holds notable wins over former UFC champions Amanda Nunes, Raquel Pennington and Nicco Montano. She now looks to make her biggest statement yet by handing Harrison her first loss in the UFC.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo for the United States, Harrison (18-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) has her sights set on adding UFC gold to her impressive resume. In her short time as part of the UFC roster, Harrison has already earned impressive wins over former champion Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira. She now intends to start off her 2025 campaign with a title-winning effort.

Current bouts also on the card include:

• No. 7 ranked bantamweight contender Marlon Vera (23-10-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) looks to halt the momentum of No. 10 Mario Bautista (15-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.)
• Thrilling welterweight actions pits No. 14 ranked contender Vicente Luque (23-10-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) against Kevin Holland (27-13, 1NC, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas)
• An exciting flyweight bout pits No. 12 ranked contender Bruno Silva (14-6-2 1NC, fighting out of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) against No. 14 Joshua Van (14-2, fighting out of Houston, Texas)
• Light heavyweight action sees No. 10 ranked contender Johnny Walker (21-9 1NC, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Rio das Ostras, Brazil) take on undefeated No. 12 ranked Azamat Murzakanov (14-0, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. by way of Nalchik, Russia)
• No. 14 ranked flyweight contender Ariane da Silva (17-10, fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against Wang Cong (7-1, fighting out of Shanghai, China)

For the latest information on bout announcements and additional information for this event, please visit UFC.com. All bouts are subject to change. Please click here to apply for the event.




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • NOTHING BUT SPORTZ PRESENTS GAMBOA & RIGONDEAUX — MAY 2 IN MIAMI ONE NIGHT. SAME CARD. HAVANA HEAT
    , Mon, 06 Apr 2026
  • Wilkens Mathieu Against Olympic Medallist Esquiva Falcao at the Théâtre Capitole of Quebec City on June 11!
    , Mon, 06 Apr 2026
  • National Master Jasper Faeldonia rules Romblon chessfest
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 06 Apr 2026
  • Twin wins for Pinoy boxers
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • NM Buto spearheads Goldland Chess Club
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Andreas Cortes vs Eridson Garcia Tops Paramount Plus Card
    By Chris Carlson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Chris "Sandman" Thomas Back in the Win Column
    , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Taduran Stops Pérez in 7, and “Still” IBF 105 Champion
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Pedro Taduran Scores Sensational Stoppage Over Gustavo PÉRez ÁLvarez in IBF Minimumweight World Championship Main Event
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • BROWN STOPS DUCAR TO LAND FIRST PRO TITLES
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Guy Jutras, a gentleman and pilgrim of world boxing, passes away
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Joey Antonio keeps Philippine flag alive, posts hard-earned win in Canberra chess meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS CONFIRMED FOR ‘GLORY IN GIZA’ UNDERCARD
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANSOUR AND BALLO MAKE WAVES WITH UNPRECEDENTED OPEN WORKOUT ABOARD CITY CRUISES ADMIRAL HORNBLOWER AHEAD OF SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Rookie Kon Knueppel breaks Charlotte Hornets three points record
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • IBA extends its global reach through a strategic partnership with Nomad Fighting premiering at IBA Nomad 14
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Laylo leads in Bundesliga 3 and in IIEE chess Olympiad season 8
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS TADURAN VS. PEREZ WEIGH-IN RESULTS
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PLANET ICE FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AS BROWN AND DUCAR FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Battle of the Trades Returns for Its 3rd Year April 25 at Torrey Pines Community Resource Center in Las Vegas
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Bobby Laing vs. Russ Kimber in intriguing Intra-state match-up between Massachusetts Light Heavyweights on ‘Rumble at the Rink II’
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PH chess wizard Jacobb Seda ties for 1st, settles for silver on tiebreaks in Thailand meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Rene “Chulo” Santiago, Masataka Taniguchi Officially Make Weight for Friday’s Unified World Title Clash in Tokyo
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Marlon Tapales and Yukinori Oguni Make Weight in Clash of Former World Champions
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Taduran in high spirits ahead of title defense in California
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.