Dvalishvili, after winning the title at UFC 306 this past September, outworked Umar Nurmagomedov in his first defense in January. Cory Sandhagen, White said, is next in line for a shot at the belt, but also thinks the champ might wind up in another rematch eventually.

Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round submission win over Sean O'Malley to retain his bantamweight title at UFC 316 on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison also winning by submission in the co-main event,

Merab Dvalishvili retained his 135-pound championship when he tapped out Sean O’Malley in the third round in the main event of UFC 316 at the Prudential Center. Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from