The UFC calendar year moves on from UFC 315 as we have another PPV coming up next month with a blockbuster bantamweight clash, an epic rematch—Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili. After a lackluster outing at UFC 306, where the former champion got absolutely manhandled by ‘The Machine’, ‘Suga’ seems to be pretty focused on making things right at UFC 316, with a clear-cut message to Dana White and the rest of the MMA community.

Dana White seemed thoroughly disappointed with Sean O’Malley’s performance at Noche UFC 306 following a unanimous decision loss. “He looked flat. [He] didn’t look sharp [and] he didn’t look crisp until the last round… I looked at the punch stats [and] it was like six in a couple of those rounds,” the UFC CEO stated in the post-fight UFC 306 presser. Nevertheless, O’Malley is out to right the wrongs.

The former bantamweight champion took some drastic steps to evolve after his loss to Merab Dvalishvili. The ever-so-present star on social media decided to take a break from it as part of the measures he took. As consistent as he was putting up social media posts and releasing podcast episodes, ‘Suga’ wanted to get better as a fighter after the lopsided loss to the Georgian star last year.

“I feel like my higher self is trying to tell me something. I’m trying to learn something, but I’m too distracted and out of touch with reality to grasp what’s trying to be taught from my higher self,” O’Malley stated while explaining the reason behind his social media hiatus. But now, the former champion is locked in. In a recent Instagram story, the 30-year-old seemed eager to get back inside the Octagon, as he wrote, “23 days out UFC 316,” via Red Hawk Academy’s Instagram page.

Well, the main event seems to be intact and going down soon, but Dana White has encountered a severe problem ahead of UFC 316. According to reports, the UFC CEO lost one of his fighters featured on the upcoming PPV card. Here’s what we know.

Dana White loses Marlon Vera for UFC 316

Mario Bautista recently made a name for himself after beating Jose Aldo, a legend, in what appeared to be the biggest victory of his career so far. The next opponent for him was supposed to be former bantamweight title contender Marlon Vera, who is also looking to turn around and get back in his winning ways. However, the fight plan made by Dana White appears to have fallen through after ‘Chito’ reportedly pulled out of the fight.

The reasons behind Marlon Vera’s pullout remain undisclosed. It could have been an injury, but we are yet to get a confirmation on that front. Meanwhile, Dana White and Co. are scrambling to find a replacement, but so far, they have found no success. With less than a month to go, things are getting tough for the UFC CEO and the matchmaking team as we wait for a new opponent for Bautista.

Well, UFC 316 does have an interesting card with two title fights, and thankfully, those fights are still on. However, it remains to be seen how Dana White tackles the issue surrounding a potential replacement for Marlon Vera. What are your thoughts about this situation? Drop your comments below.