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New Jersey played host to the UFC's latest pay-per-view last night. Overall, the event was a good one, with plenty of strong performances and finishes.
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2 saw one champion successfully defend their crown, while in the event's other title bout, a new champion was crowned. With plenty of talking points, then, this will likely be an event discussed and broken down for a while yet.
Here are five takeaways from UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2.
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#5. 'Zombie Jr' scored one of the all-time great UFC debut knockouts
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Given the overall depth of last night's card, few fans were paying attention to the UFC debut of Korean prospect Yoo Joo Sang on the undercard.
Known as 'Zombie Jr' in reference to the legendary Chan Jung Sung, Yoo had been picked up by the promotion after scoring a big KO on Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight in December.
Even that performance couldn't have prepared fans for his debut against Jeka Saragih last night, though.
With his hands hanging low, 'Zombie Jr' drew Saragih in, and when the opening came, he levelled him with a fight-ending right hook that dropped him face-first. The whole bout lasted just 24 seconds.
Post-fight, Joe Rogan made the obvious comparison, but it wasn't to the original 'Korean Zombie'. Instead, with his ultra-confident counterpunching style, Yoo resembled a young Conor McGregor.
Quite how far this prospect can go is anyone's guess, but this was an incredible way to make an octagon debut. Quite rightfully, it won the newcomer a $50k bonus, too.
#4. Azamat Murzakanov is absolutely ready for a big step up in competition
Last night's prelim card was supposed to see light-heavyweight prospect Azamat Murzakanov face his toughest test to date in the form of Johnny Walker. Unfortunately, Walker was forced out due to injury, with Brendson Ribeiro stepping in to face 'The Professional' instead.
Based on how easily Murzakanov dispatched the Brazilian, though, the UFC may be wise to give him an even tougher test than Walker in his next fight.
It took just over three minutes for 'The Professional' to find his range, and after dropping Ribeiro with a pair of left hands, he began to abuse him on the ground with heavy elbows.
In the end, the punishment got so bad that Ribeiro tapped out. Murzakanov is now 15-0, with five of those wins coming in the octagon. He's also finished 12 of his foes.
At the age of 36, it's time to stop messing around with 'The Professional' and throw him in with someone like Jiri Prochazka or Jamahal Hill. Based on what he's shown so far, there's no reason to believe he can't compete with the world's top 205-pounders.
#3. Mario Bautista showed Patchy Mix that competition in the UFC is on another level entirely
It's probably fair to say that the UFC debut of former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix was the most highly anticipated in some time. With a record of 20-1 and a reputation as a stellar grappler and a well-rounded fighter overall, 'No Love' was widely expected to ease past No. 10-ranked Mario Bautista.
He'd even spoken about the possibility of fighting for the 135-pound title in his next fight.
Unfortunately, Mix became the latest fighter in a long line to learn a very humbling lesson: the UFC is an entirely different level of fighting in comparison to Bellator, the PFL, and any other competing promotion.
Over three rounds, Bautista completely dominated him standing, picking him apart and never even giving him a chance to unleash his vaunted ground game. Mix did land a couple of decent shots in the bout, but overall, he was well beaten.
In hindsight, of course, nobody should've overlooked Bautista. He's 16-2, came into last night on a seven-fight win streak, and beat Jose Aldo in his last bout. Still, he was unheralded, and it was hard to look past Mix's reputation.
After seeing 'No Love' get dominated like this, though, perhaps that won't be the case the next time a champion from another promotion debuts in the UFC.
Bautista will undoubtedly go on to bigger and better things now, but for Mix, it'll be back to the drawing board.
#2. Kayla Harrison steamrolled her way to the top of the mountain, but she may not stay there too long
On the same night that Patchy Mix became the latest champion from a rival organization to struggle in the UFC, former PFL champ Kayla Harrison proved just how great she is.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist easily dismantled Julianna Pena in the co-headliner to claim the bantamweight title in just her third visit to the octagon.
Harrison was too physically powerful for 'The Venezuelan Vixen' to handle, and in the first round, Pena even resorted to throwing some illegal upkicks. However, they didn't help her, and only saw her get a point deducted.
Pena survived the first round, but in the second, Harrison muscled her to the ground again, and after hunting for a possible arm triangle, switched to a kimura to force a tapout.
Post-fight, Harrison made the call-out everyone was expecting. She challenged former bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes to what should be one of the biggest fights in the history of women's MMA.
Nunes, who retired in 2023, is widely recognised as the greatest female fighter of all time by some margin. Thankfully, 'The Lioness' has already agreed to the bout, meaning we will see exactly where Harrison stands in the overall pantheon soon.
However, her choice of opponent may also point to something else. It suggests that Harrison, who has to go through a hellish weight cut to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit, may not stay at the top for long.
In fact, at the age of 34, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her walk away after the Nunes fight, win or lose. Harrison has proven her greatness in this brief run, and she just doesn't have the time to surpass Nunes' overall legacy.
Her time at the top may be brief, then, but fans have witnessed genuine excellence during it.
#1. Merab Dvalishvili's second win over Sean O'Malley should make him the UFC's bantamweight GOAT
Coming into last night's event, there was quite a debate around exactly who stands as the UFC's bantamweight GOAT. After UFC 316, it's no longer a question. The answer is Merab Dvalishvili.
For the second time, 'The Machine' dominated former champ Sean O'Malley, never really giving 'Sugar' the time and space he needed to operate at his best. After taking him down in the first round, Dvalishvili largely got the better of him on the feet in the second.
In the third, he then did what he was unable to do in their first bout by securing a finish, snaring him up in a front headlock before squeezing him in a choke variant that eventually made O'Malley tap out.
Can anyone stop 'The Machine'? Based on this kind of showing, it feels doubtful. O'Malley is a great fighter; he'd looked pretty dialed in leading up to the fight, and still got dominated.
No fighter is invincible, of course, even greats like Dvalishvili. However, with a 13-fight win streak and five victories over former UFC champions under his belt, nobody can question the Georgian now.
Put simply, there's never been a better 135-pounder inside the octagon.
