UFC 316 delivered — and then some. Let’s talk about it. Merab Dvalishvili just put on another relentless, insane pace clinic, and Sean O’Malley better be taking notes. You don’t just walk through a guy like Merab, not when he's charging you for 25 minutes straight with the gas tank of a machine and the will of a warlord. Merab might not have the flash or the one-shot power, but he's the king of the bantamweight division right now. And let’s be honest: that’s the best division in the UFC.
🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 006 is out now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv
Fight Finders 001: Kingmaking in Karate Combat
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Chapters:
0:13 Merab Dvalishvili is the 135 GOAT already
6:29 Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes: Who wins?
11:05 Joe Pyfer is not that good
14:51 Mario Bautista exposes Patchy Mix
Speaking of letdowns, we gotta talk about Patchy Mix. Former Bellator champ, tons of hype, but Mario Bautista exposed him. Not a fraud check — let’s be fair — but Patchy came in stiff, hesitant, and didn't shoot nearly enough. Bautista was just slick with the boxing: tight pivots, ripping the body, head movement, everything sharp and clean. Patchy Mix had the height, the length, the wrestling pedigree, and didn’t do anything with it. Meanwhile, Bautista showed why he's quietly climbing the UFC bantamweight rankings. Could be a top-5 guy soon.
Joe Pyfer? That’s a whole different story. He defeated Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision, and yeah, he almost nuked Kelvin in round one — dropped him twice with that monstrous right hand. The guy has unlimited power, like Emperor Palpatine levels of power. But that’s all he’s looking for. One big punch. No combos, no setups, just right-hand hunting. And it almost cost him. Gastelum worked his way back in the fight, started finding range, started touching Pyfer up, and honestly had a case for rounds two and three. If you’re a top middleweight and all you gotta do is avoid one punch, you’re in a good place. Guys like Strickland, Imavov, or even Izzy — they’ll deal with that all day. Pyfer has potential, no doubt, but he’s not there yet.
Kevin Holland, though? That man delivered. Round two anaconda choke over Vicente Luque. Holland used his length well, unlike Patchy Mix. This was clinical. Luque had no answers, and Holland’s submission game once again proved dangerous when he’s flowing and feeling himself.
And then there’s Joshua Van. My goodness. If you’re not on the Joshua Van hype train yet, get on it now. This guy is one of the best boxers in the UFC — period. His angles, rhythm changes, body work — it’s poetry in motion. He knocked out Bruno Silva in round three, and it was beautiful. Van even called out Brandon Moreno, and while Moreno might be ranked too high for that fight to happen now, stylistically, it’s electric. Expect a film study on Van later this week — his pivots, hooks to the body, and setups are just too good not to break down.
The rest of UFC 316? Stacked.
Azamat Murzakanov stopped Brendson Ribeiro with a brutal left hook. Waldo Cortes-Acosta picked up a close win over Sergey Spivak — one I thought Spivak edged, but hey, not a robbery. Andreas Gustafsson had a breakout moment against Chaos Williams, who’s always dangerous. Gustafsson is someone to keep an eye on.
Cong Wang beat Ariane Lipski — who missed weight — with clean kickboxing. Meanwhile
So yeah, UFC 316 was a banger. Merab Dvalishvili continues to prove he’s the bantamweight division’s dark horse-turned-front runner. Sean O'Malley, your move.
Don’t forget: Fightfinders 01 is live now. We went to the Dominican Republic to explore Karate Combat and get behind the scenes of the most cinematic fight league on the planet. If you're interested in MMA beyond the UFC, check that out — it's something special.
#ufc #mma #ufc316 #merabdvalishvili #kaylaharrison
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