Sean O’Malley and Julianna Peña both suffered losses in their UFC 316 championship fights on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) attempted to reclaim the bantamweight title but was submitted by Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the third round, while Peña (11-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), a significant underdog, tapped out to Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the second round, losing her women’s bantamweight title. The outcomes raise questions about the future for both fighters in their respective divisions, which MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn addresses in a matchmaking discussion.
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