UFC 316 Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley full preliminary card picks & predictions

Check out predictions for every prelim fight at UFC 316.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The UFC returns to Newark, NJ this weekend for UFC 316, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all eight of the card’s prelim fights.

The event is headlined by a rematch for the UFC men’s bantamweight title between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, and bantamweight gold will also be on the line in the co-main event when Julianna Peña tries to defend her women’s title against Kayla Harrison.

The main card features Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer and Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix after Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland kick off the PPV action, and there’s also plenty of intriguing fights for fans to look forward to on the UFC 316 prelims.

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Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) celebrates after winning a UFC bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov (not pictured) during UFC 311. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UFC 316 Preliminary Card Predictions

Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van

Joshua Van (red gloves) fights Rei Tsuruya (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

I hate seeing lopsided betting odds like this when there’s an experienced veteran like Silva involved, but Van has been on a tear following his loss to Charles Johnson and should pick up a big win that will move him further up the flyweight rankings.

(Pick: Van)

Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Dustin Jacoby (red gloves) fights Azamat Murzakanov (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

He’s struggled to remain active since joining the UFC, but Murzakanov has impressed fans when he has stepped into the Octagon and could add another finish to his highlight reel when he meets Ribeiro on Saturday.

(Pick: Murzakanov)

Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Jailton Almeida (red gloves) fights Serghei Spivac (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This is an important fight for the heavyweight division that seems to be flying under the radar heading into UFC 316. Spivac has shared the Octagon with a higher level of competition so far, and I think that “Polar Bear” will halt Cortes-Acosta’s win streak and preserve his place in the heavyweight Top 10.

(Pick: Spivac)

Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson

Andreas Gustafsson knees Pat Pytlik during Dana White's Contender Series. / (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Both Gustaffson and Williams have had a tumultuous couple of weeks with multiple opponent switches. Even though Williams is always a threat to score a big finish, I’ll slightly lean with Gustafsson to get the win in his promotional debut.

(Pick: Gustafsson)

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UFC 316 Early Preliminary Card Predictions

Ariane da Silva vs. Cong Wang

Cong Wang punches Vitoria Leonardo during a UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. / (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Things could get interesting if da Silva manages to bring Wang to the canvas, but even if there are still some concerns about her ground game I have to pick “The Joker” to get her hand raised in this matchup.

(Pick: Wang)

Joo Sang Yoo vs. Jeka Saragih

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None of Saragih’s UFC or Road to UFC bouts have made it to the judges’ scorecards, and unfortunately for him that reckless style probably doesn’t bode for this matchup as Yoo looks to make an immediate impression in his promotional debut.

(Pick: Yoo)

Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz

Quillan Salkilld during his Dana White's Contender Series matchup with Gauge Young. / (Zuffa LLC)

Fans are understandably high on Salkilld following a 19-second knockout in his debut at UFC 312. Even though Ashmouz previously upset another dangerous finisher in Sam Patterson, this looks to be a tough out for “Red Fox”.

(Pick: Salkilld)

MarQuel Mederos vs. Mark Choinski

MarQuel Mederos welcomes Mark Choinski to the UFC on Saturday night. / (Zuffa LLC)

The undefeated Choinski has a huge chance here in his short-notice UFC debut, but even with the late opponent switch I still expect that Mederos will get the job done here.

(Pick: Mederos)

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MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 316 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night.

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