It’s fight night in “Brick City” for UFC. The promotion is back in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night with UFC 316 and a pair of title fights atop the marquee. In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili looks to make the second defense of the bantamweight title he won last September when he takes on Sean O’Malley in a title rematch. Plus, women’s bantamweight champ Julianna Pena takes on two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
Dvalishvili’s win in their first meeting derailed the hype train behind O’Malley, who the promotion had treated as a potential mega-star for the future. Instead of rolling to his second successful title defense, O’Malley was outwrestled for much of the fight and a late charge was not enough to steal the win from Dvalishvili.
“Skill for skill, I have better skills than Merab,” O’Malley told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday’s rematch at UFC 316. “He’s a dog, he finds a way to win, and he’s done it time and time again. He’s very experienced. He’s very mentally strong.
“He has good skills, but I know there are many…
