Joe Rogan on UFC 316: Merab Submits Sean O’Malley
Joe Rogan praised Sean O’Malley’s changes before UFC 316 but questioned whether he could stop Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili won their rematch by third-round submission.
Rogan’s comments, reported by MMA Fighting on May 27, 2025, came ahead of O’Malley’s attempt to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title. The rematch was scheduled for June 7 at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, after Dvalishvili had taken the belt from O’Malley the previous year.
What Joe Rogan said about the rematch
Rogan acknowledged that O’Malley had made changes to his lifestyle and was returning after hip surgery. He still wondered whether the champion’s relentless pace and wrestling would give the challenger room to use his striking. “I do not know how Suga Sean keeps that guy off of him,” Rogan said on his podcast, according to MMA Fighting.
The concern reflected their first meeting at UFC 306 on September 14, 2024. Dvalishvili repeatedly pressured O’Malley, mixed takedowns with striking, and won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. The victory ended O’Malley’s title reign and set up a direct rematch once he returned to competition.
Dvalishvili finishes the rematch
At UFC 316, Dvalishvili again made his pace and grappling central to the fight. He submitted O’Malley with a ninja choke at 4:42 of the third round, retaining the bantamweight championship. The finish made the result more decisive than their first bout, which had gone the distance.
Rogan’s pre-fight question proved relevant to the matchup: O’Malley was unable to keep Dvalishvili from imposing his grappling in the rematch. That outcome should not be confused with a precise prediction from Rogan; the published comments focused on the difficulty of containing Dvalishvili’s pressure.
The two fights also showed why the matchup was difficult for the former champion. O’Malley’s long-range striking can punish entries, but Dvalishvili’s conditioning and repeated attacks force opponents to defend for extended stretches. In the rematch, the champion turned that pressure into a finish and kept the title.
