One sleeper fight that could steal the show at UFC 316

Fans are understandably hyped for Saturday’s UFC 316 headliner, but it’s certainly not the only bout on the card with “Fight of the Night” potential.

Set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, UFC 316 will close out with a highly-anticipated rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley after “The Machine” won the men’s bantamweight strap in their first encounter at Sphere back in September.

The co-main event will see Julianna Peña try to overcome some steep odds and defend her women’s bantamweight belt against Kayla Harrison, and the rest of UFC 316 is packed with fights that are sure to thrill combat sports fans on Saturday night.

Sean O'Malley (red gloves) fights Merab Dvalishvili (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at Sphere. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Don't Sleep On Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van

There’s plenty to get excited about on the main card of UFC 316, but the flyweight matchup between Bruno Silva and Joshua Van has been slotted in as the night’s featured prelim for a reason.

Currently sitting at #12 in the UFC flyweight rankings, Silva began his career in the Octagon with three-straight losses (his promotional debut was overturned to a No Contest when Khalid Taha failed a drug test) but rebounded in tremendous fashion with four-straight finishes that all came within the first two rounds.

Bruno Silva (blue gloves) reacts during the fight against Manel Kape (red gloves) at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“Bulldog” secured “Performance of the Night” bonuses for all four of those wins, but the Brazilian finally saw his winning run come to an end last December when he was stopped with strikes in the third round of a meeting with fellow top-ranked flyweight Manel Kape.

Van Looks To Cimb Rankings Against Silva

Van has kept an incredibly active schedule since joining the UFC in 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and after that “The Fearless” quickly added two more wins to establish himself as a flyweight worth watching before he came up short against Charles Johnson last July.

Like Silva, the 23-year-old was also undeterred by his first UFC loss and has responded with three-straight wins, the most recent of which came via unanimous decision against the formerly-undefeated Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313.

Cody Durden (red gloves) fights Joshua Van (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Van vs. Silva is a pivotal bout for the flyweight division, and their respective fighting styles could combine to produce fireworks at Newark’s Prudential Center and provide a perfect-lead in to the PPV main card for UFC 316.

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