UFC 316 takeaways: Dvalishvili is somehow getting even better

Merab Dvalishvili finished Sean O'Malley in their rematch, earning a third-round submission in the UFC 316 main event Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark.

In the co-headliner, Kayla Harrison was crowned the new women's bantamweight champion after tapping out Julianna Pena.

Here are five takeaways from the pay-per-view event.

Dvalishvili's here for a good time and a long time

There's no stopping "The Machine."

We already knew Dvalishvili was the world's best bantamweight - and arguably in a completely different stratosphere than everybody else - going into Saturday's rematch with O'Malley. But after Dvalishvili secured just the second finish of his UFC career and beat O'Malley with even more ease than last time, it's clear that he's getting better - which is a scary thought.

The rest of the division can't feel very good about their chances of dethroning Dvalishvili anytime soon.

Dvalishvili has already beaten the top three contenders, O'Malley, Petr Yan, and Umar Nurmagomedov. After that, you have Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong, who, while terrific fighters in their own right, shouldn't pose much of a threat.

At this rate, there's a good chance the Georgian champion will be the king of the 135-pound division long enough to be considered the bantamweight GOAT.

O'Malley should try his luck at 145 pounds

This was the worst-case scenario for O'Malley.

A year ago, he was the UFC bantamweight champion and one of the biggest stars in the sport. Now, he's reeling from back-to-back losses to the current champ - with the second one coming in more lopsided fashion than the first.

Unless someone beats Dvalishvili, O'Malley won't get another crack at the title for a while. So it's in his best interest to move up to featherweight and try to get his career back on track there.

If he takes some time to adjust to the weight, O'Malley could be a contender at 145 pounds. He's certainly tall and long enough for the division. Plus, there are a bunch of fresh matchups that fans would be eager to see. Who's saying no to O'Malley versus Yair Rodriguez, Diego Lopes, or Brian Ortega? Certainly not us.

Harrison-Nunes is a true megafight

The women's bantamweight division is officially back in a big way.

Harrison taking the title from Pena - and setting up a defense against former champion Amanda Nunes - is exactly what the division needed. It's been incredibly stagnant since Nunes retired from the sport in 2023.

Harrison-Nunes will be one of the biggest fights in women's UFC history, assuming it comes to fruition. It could easily headline a marquee pay-per-view event in Las Vegas or elsewhere. Harrison has been chasing Nunes, her former teammate at American Top Team, for years. Nunes was the UFC women's bantamweight champion when Harrison was dominating in the PFL, and a potential superfight was talked about constantly in MMA circles. Now it can finally happen.

And honestly, this might be the perfect time for Harrison-Nunes. Harrison has established herself as the top active women's bantamweight in the world but of course has yet to prove she can beat the women's GOAT in Nunes. It's a pretty epic storyline. Can Nunes come back from two years out of the sport to defeat her successor and become a three-time bantamweight champion?

Business is ramping up at 135 pounds.

Put some respect on Bautista's name

After Mario Bautista spoiled Patchy Mix's UFC debut, all the talk was about how disappointing, underwhelming, and downright awful Mix's performance was. And sure, it's hard not to focus on Mix considering the high expectations people had for the former Bellator bantamweight champion when he signed with the UFC last month.

But it's also time to give Bautista his flowers.

Bautista has won eight fights in a row and is unbeaten since March 2021. He's beaten the likes of UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, Ricky Simon, and now a top-five bantamweight in Mix. Fans turned on Bautista after his lackluster win over Aldo last October, but he put on a heck of a performance against Mix and deserves a lot more praise than he's gotten. Bautista is pretty clearly one of the top bantamweights in the UFC now, and he only seems to be getting better.

Holland should fight at welterweight all the time

Kevin Holland delivered another impressive performance, this time against No. 14-ranked welterweight Vicente Luque. Holland outstruck Luque in the first round and then locked up an anaconda choke in the second, becoming the first to submit Luque in the UFC. The victory likely puts Holland in the top 15 at welterweight - and it leaves no doubt about which division Holland should be competing in.

Holland has bounced between welterweight and middleweight over the last few years, but it's become clear that he's more consistent at 170 pounds and is better suited for that weight. The results speak for themselves: He's won two in a row at welterweight (against Gunnar Nelson and now Luque), and before that, he dropped two straight at middleweight (to Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze).

The good news is that Holland seems receptive to the idea of a full-time career at welterweight.

"I'd like to keep building myself at 170 pounds," Holland said after the fight. "I love '85, but me, I'm professional these days, and I think I can stay here at 170 and make some noise."

If Holland does indeed stick around at the lighter weight, he might finally be ready to make a legitimate run.