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.

UFC 316 set the foundation for some of the next title fights we'll see in the future, as Merab Dvalishvili beat Sean O'Malley to retain the men's bantamweight title and Kayla Harrison knocked off Julianna Peña to claim the women's bantamweight championship.