In the main event of UFC 306 on Saturday, Sean O’Malley lost the men’s bantamweight title to a dominant Merab Dvalishvili at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
“Sugar Sean” O’Malley was making his second defence of the belt, having won it from Aljamain Sterling with a picture-perfect knockout last August, before retaining it with a masterclass against Marlon Vera in March.
But the American star faced a stern test on Saturday, as he encountered a challenger on a 10-fight win streak. Georgia’s Dvalishvili entered the Sphere on the back of three straight victories against former champions: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
And Dvalishvili added O’Malley’s name to that list by outwrestling the striking specialist for the best part of 25 minutes. O’Malley had his moments, including one scything elbow that cut open his challenger, but there was no doubt about the result when the scorecards arrived – with all of them in Dvalishvili’s favour: 49-46, 48-47, 48-47.
And in the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko outpointed Alexa Grasso to regain the women’s flyweight belt, having previously lost to the Mexican and drawn with her in their first two meetings.
Re-live updates and see all results from UFC 306, below.
UFC 306 takes place inside Sphere in Las Vegas – as venue’s first ever sporting event
Sean O’Malley loses bantamweight title to dominant Merab Dvalishvili in main event
Valentina Shevchenko regains flyweight belt from Alexa Grasso in trilogy bout
Diego Lopes scores statement win against Brian Ortega to close in on title shot
Esteban Ribovics wins split decision over Daniel Zellhuber in wild clash
Ronaldo Rodriguez outpoints Ode’ Osbourne in thrilling main-card opener
07:18 , Will Castle
07:08 , Will Castle
Round five
With the advantage on the scorecards, Merab just needed to get to the buzzer.
He endured a late scare, getting particularly hurt by a blunt front kick from a tiring O’Malley. However, it was too little, too late for Suga. Bantamweight has a new champion…
Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47).
06:57 , Will Castle
Round four
Another perfect takedown from Merab acts to frustrate both O’Malley and the Sphere crowd – but regardless of public sentiment, it’s a tactic that is putting him on a collision course towards title glory.
Suga has been worn down and is breathing incredibly going into the last, while Merab looks like he could go for five more rounds.
O’Malley needs a finish to keep hold of his belt.
06:51 , Will Castle
Round three
Merab’s game plan is working an absolute treat at the moment. He’s getting O’Malley close to the fence and laying in heavy knees, draining the champion and slowing him down.
But it’s not just the grappling that’s going in the challenger’s favour. He’s also clipping Suga with a fair few overhands and is landing far more than his opponent.
Merab shouldn’t get complacent, of course, because it only takes one of O’Malley’s haymakers to cause lights out.
06:46 , Will Castle
Round two
Merab is moving at a frantic pace and O’Malley is finding it difficult to pinpoint him – “a butterfly in a windstorm” as Din Thomas elloquently said. Whether he can maintain this speed, we will see.
The Georgian manages to land a third takedown in four attempts before engaging in a bit of ground and pound. Dean does brilliantly to spot an infringement from O’Malley on the ground as he grabs the inside of Merab’s glove – a stern warning follows.
Merab keeps Suga on the ground and is wailing shots on him, chipping away before trying to lock in a choke.
With O’Malley up against the fence with a few seconds to go, Merab starts kissing – yes, kissing – the champ’s back. He is then ordered to get up by Dean before getting clocked in the back of the head by a frustrated Suga as the buzzer goes.
06:39 , Will Castle
Round one
Strange start as Dvalishvili starts yelling at Tim Welch in O’Malley’s corner – AFTER the bout had begun. Dean calls time and tells Merab to get his head in the game.
To the actual fighting and Suga connects with a couple punches early on. However, it’s Merab who appears to do the most damage in the first, landing a heavy strike before succeeding in two takedowns.
An encouraging first five minutes for Merab.
06:31 , Will Castle
Walkouts completed, giant holograms bypassed, fighters introduced.
Five rounds scheduled for the bantamweight title. Here we go…
06:15 , Will Castle
This is what we’ve been waiting for. In your main event, bantamweight gold on the line as the division’s most worthy challenger looks to shut down the Suga Show.
Sean O’Malley is making his second defence of the belt, having won it from Aljamain Sterling with a picture-perfect knockout last August, before retaining it with a masterclass against Marlon Vera in March.
The American star may face a stern test in Las Vegas, however, as he encounters a challenger on a 10-fight win streak. Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili enters the Sphere on the back of three straight victories against former champions: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
It’s a bout that’s been years in the making. Fireworks are guaranteed.
06:07 , Will Castle
Round five
More of the same. Shevchenko remains ever-determined to win her exchanges, completely controlling Grasso on the ground. A career-best eight takedowns landed throughout the contest – a sensational grappling display.
Grasso sees the occasional opportunity for a hail-mary submission go begging and as the buzzer sounds, we know what’s coming from Bruce Buffer. ANDDDDD NEWWWWWW!
Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Ruthlessly efficient from the Kyrgyzstani Queen.
05:57 , Will Castle
Round four
Once again, Shevchenko starts by going for the takedown – but this time she gets caught in a guillotine!
Grasso needs a finish and it could come now as she sinks the choke in further. The crowd are on the edge of their seats, probably for the first time in the contest.
However, Shevchenko manages to escape and regains control to see out the round. This is a grappling clinic from the Kyrgyzstani, who is on the verge of regaining her flyweight title.
05:51 , Will Castle
Round three
The first couple minutes of round three remain on the feet – an improvement for Grasso, but she still struggles to cause any trouble for Shevchenko. The champ looks almost lost at how to foil her opponent.
Soon the inevitable occurrs and Shevchenko has Grasso on the ground, frustrating the Mexican further. Two rounds to go and Grasso needs a finish to retain her belt.
05:45 , Will Castle
Round two
Shevchenko takes Grasso down within the first minute and keeps hold of control for much of the second.
That said, the champ is finding success with butterfly and yet again threatened with a triangle. At one point, an armbar looked on the verge of being locked in, only for Shevchenko to basically shrug off Grasso’s attempt and regain side control.
Grasso did briefly escape but within moments was back on the ground. She needs to find a way of staying on her feet and putting her striking to good use.
05:37 , Will Castle
Round one
First of a potential five rounds starts off snappy as Shevchenko lands a couple early right hooks. The former champ is looking hungrier than ever and secures a takedown without exerting much effort.
Shevchenko looks in control as the pair grapple on the mat – but Grasso issues a warning as she threatens to lock in a triangle armbar.
Nevertheless, over three minutes of ground control all but guarantees that round one goes to Shevchenko.
05:25 , Will Castle
Flyweight is gold on the line!
Alexa Grasso defends her belt against division icon Valentina Shevchenko in a long-awaited trilogy bout.
Grasso submitted Shevchenko in a shock result in 2022, before the pair fought to a controversial draw in 2023.
For so long, Shevchenko looked imperious at the helm of 125 – but Grasso has proved her cryptonite. Can she finally find a way to overcome the Mexican champ and wrestle back her title?
05:10 , Will Castle
Round three
That front leg of Ortega is proving very troublesome for the crowd favourite. He just tried planting it and slightly buckled.
Nice exchange in the pocket, Ortega’s hands shouldn’t be written off and he is doing damage to Lopes. But unsurprisingly, Ortega wants to take this to the ground and with two minutes to go, he’s been largely unsuccessful.
With the fight still on the feet, Lopes hits a perfect left square on the nose of T-City – it hurts him. Then as the fight enters the closing stages, Lopes gets another shot at a finish, dropping Ortega before raining down ground strikes. The buzzer goes and there’s no question of the result.
Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).
“You’re number three now,” says Dana White.
05:01 , Will Castle
Round two
Another nice heavy connection by Lopes to kick into gear in the second. However, he seems a little slower than he did in the first – a lot of energy would have been burned from that early exchange and he’s breathing heavy.
Ortega goes for the single leg but Lopes defends it well. The Brazilian is now finding great success with the low kicks – a big welt has formed behind the shin of Ortega.
Another leg kick echoes around the sphere and this one leaves Ortega on his backside. T-City wants Lopes to join him on the mat but Lopes isn’t biting.
This was a better round for Ortega, yes. But Lopes remains in control it’s almost certain that Ortega will need a finish if he has any chance of winning this one.
04:55 , Will Castle
Round one
Thirty seconds in and Lopes hits a NASTY combination to seriously hurt Ortega. T-City is up against the fence and gets slammed onto the mat as Lopes looks for the TKO.
Ortega, who has been busted open above the left eye, wants to keep things on the ground but is eventually forced back to his feet.
If Ortega is anything, it’s durable. He eats a couple more hooks but is hardly in a critical condition as he finishes the first round. Never write off an Ortega comeback.
04:41 , Will Castle
Time for our first featured bout of the night. After their UFC 303 fight fell through, Brian Ortega will share the Octagon with featherweight’s newest hot commodity Diego Lopes.
Of course, these two were scheduled to scrap at the tailend of June, but Ortega pulled out the very last second due to illness. It brought about an unprecedented turn of events as Dan Ige filled in mere hours before the card got underway.
No issues with weight or wellbeing this time around. Let’s hope for an absolute barnburner.
04:31 , Will Castle
Round three
Beautiful elbow from Zellhuber before the pair trade powerful right hands. Zellhuber then bags a knockdown with that same elbow but Ribovics quickly refinds his feet.
Ribovics returns fire and delivers an incredible overhand right to put Zellhuber on the ropes. Queue the madness. The punches are flying in and somehow Zellhuber is staying on his feet.
Wobbly legs and all, Zellhuber is being chased around the cage but manages to regain some composure and connects with some strikes of his own. They’re now wailing on each other and the crowd is going crazy.
The seconds are ticking but both are still throwing and they’re still landing. Utter unadulterated chaos in the centre of the Octagon, everything is being left on the mat. The buzzer goes and the pair receive a fully warranted standing ovation. To the scorecards…
Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
One of the fights of the year. Max Holloway is somewhere smiling right now.
04:19 , Will Castle
Round two
Zellhuber comes out strong with a straight right getting through. Ribovics looked to be having trouble with the reach disadvantage but begins to experience joy and delivers a handful of hard shots, evoking a reaction of concern from the partisan crowd.
Both are now landing combination after combination with Ribovics especially doing damage in the second.
This is a striking clinic. Anyone’s to win going into the last.
04:13 , Will Castle
Round one
Both trade jabs early, Zellhuber goes for a headkick that’s well blocked by Ribovics. The Argentinian then hits a nice overhand low kick combination, but nothing to shake his opponent just yet.
Zellhuber switching up his stances as usual and echoes a body kick off Ribovics’ sternum. The home crowd favourite is doing well at not letting his opposite number get too close.
Heavy exchange at the end as Zellhuber lands two glancing shots at the head and one at the body.
04:05 , Will Castle
Time to sink our teeth into some lightweight action as Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics prepare to go to war.
Making waves at 155 is easier said than done given just how STACKED the division is – but under the lights of the Sphere, can either of these South American fighters rise to the occasion and stamp their mark as one to watch?
03:49 , Will Castle
Round three
Where has Osbourne got this energy from? He’s recovered very well given the fact he looked completely done at the end of the second.
Fires a big shot that connects on Rodriguez, only for the Mexican to come back with his own left hook. Osbourne acknowledges the strike and Rodriguez follows up with a pair of spinning wheel kicks in quick succession – both miss.
Osbourne shoots for a first takedown but Rodriguez snuffs it. Osbourne succeeds at the second time of asking but it nearly leads to his demise, with Rodriguez threatening to lock in a kimura.
One last takedown attempt for Osbourne and Rodriguez spraws and ends up on top. It allows him to rain down a barrage of ground strikes during the final seconds of the round. A great impression to leave for the judges, that could very well bring him victory on the scorecards…
Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27).
A sublime fight to kick off the main card. Rodriguez could have been down and out within the first 30 seconds, but he came back and put on an absolute clinic.
03:40 , Will Castle
Round two
Osbourne once again starts the round on top and has Rodriguez in a dangerous position up against the fence. However, a phenomenal Rodriguez reversal allows him to take the back.
Osbourne is face down on the ground and caught in a body triangle, with Rodriguez laying in strikes from above. After such a gruelling first round, ‘The Jamaican Sensation’ looks completely out of energy and is just trying to survive.
With 20 seconds left, Osbourne finally finds his way out of the body triangle and gets on top. He needs to salvage something from the round quickly and lands a flurry of heavy shots on the ground – but he doesn’t have the time to truly put Rodriguez in trouble.
Osbourne has to be basically dragged to the corner as the buzzer goes. He is shattered.
03:34 , Will Castle
Round one
Surrounded by Aztec pyramids, Rodriguez and Osbourne enjoy two of the most visually incredible walkouts in combat history. Plenty more of that to come tonight, I’m sure.
Osbourne immediately showcases his lightning speed and connects twice with a left hook before BANG – a vicious counter right hook knocks Rodriguez down.
Rodriguez looks there for the taking and finds himself caught in a deep triangle for about two minutes, but he manages to escape and holds on for the rest of the round.
03:23 , Will Castle
We’ve had 20 minutes of indulging in the Sphere, but now it’s time we get down to business.
First up, Ronaldo Rodriguez takes on Ode Osbourne as both men look to stake their claim as a potential title contender at flyweight.
03:19 , Will Castle
02:59 , Will Castle
Round three
Aldana is seriously leaking from her forehead, something which will be sure to affect her vision. She’s likely in need of a finish if she wants to win this bout but with three minutes to go, Dormant looks in control.
However, things begin to open up as Aldana connects with a harsh elbow. Dormant is bleeding herself now, but she nevertheless comes back with a nice left hook and a low kick.
Into the final stages and Aldana is searching for a KO. The crowd is behind her as she makes a beeline for Dormant’s skull, but the Brazilian survives.
The buzzer goes and we get a proper look at Aldana’s gash. She’s got a gorge in her forehead. That’s going to require some staples.
Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
A warrior’s performance from Aldana but the result was never in doubt. A cool, confident performance from Dumont.
02:50 , Will Castle
Round two
Really impressive from Dumont who looks more than comfortable in the cage, circling and connecting before slipping any reply from Aldana, who is struggling to find her range.
Aldana finally does a bit of damage with a nice jab but that only seems to psych Dumont up further, ramping up her aggression to immediately get back on the front foot.
The round enters its final thirty seconds and both begin to land some significant strikes – but as the buzzer goes, all you need to do is look at the faces of the two fighters.
Aldana is covered in her own crimson after a clash of heads, while Dumont hardly has a scratch.
02:42 , Will Castle
Round one
Bruce Buffer does his spiel and Irene Aldana produces a death stare for the ages. Not. One. Blink.
Both feeling each other out for the first couple minutes, Dumont coming in with a couple overhands that seem to clip Aldana but nothing particularly damaging.
Dumont then connects with something more meaningful as she fakes the overhand right before catching Aldana with a sharp left hook. Another nice right with thirty seconds to go as Dumont continues to dodge whatever her opponent follows up with.
Impressive first five minutes from the Brazilian.
02:31 , Alex Pattle
Time for our featured prelim of the night. Aldana will hope a big win over Dumont can propel her back into the bantamweight title picture.
02:22 , Will Castle
Round one
Cagey first minute as Torres goes for a body kick but slips and ends up on his behind. Begins to connect with more meaningful strikes and gets Bahamondes up against the cage, closing his opponent down and not allowing him to utilise his trademark length – at least initally.
Bahamondes shakes Torres off and connects with a beautiful leg kick to the back of the neck. It knocks Torres down but he gets back up, only to be folded by a right moments later and put under a barrage of hammer fists.
Torres survives and looks to respond with some offence of his own. But with a minute to go, Bahamondes evades an overhand left to connect with another brutal right to put him on the canvas for a third time. Bahamondes unloads and Goddard steps in!
Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via first-round technical knockout (right hook and ground strikes, 4:02).
Add it to the highlight reel. A big fight for Bahamondes could very well be waiting in the wings.
02:07 , Will Castle
We’ve just been treated to a video package previewing the highly anticipated rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s flyweight title.
That and the entire main card still to come, kicking off at 3am BST – but now, onto our next prelim as Manuel Torres takes on human highlight reel Ignacio Bahamondes.
Walkouts imminent…
01:52 , Will Castle
Round one
Early left gets through for Souza but Jauregui connects with a mean body kick. Jauregui then inadvertently connects with Souza’s groin, Herzog calls a temporary stoppage.
Back underway and Souza comes out swinging, mixing things up with a couple of combinations. Then comes the second accidental low blow – this time with Jauregui on the receiving end. Maybe time to design a women’s cup?
Clock starts ticking again and within moments, Souza hits a vicious left hook to knock Jauregui to the mat before jumping on her at lightning speed, locking in the RNC to put Jauregui to sleep!
Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round submission (rear naked choke, 3:02).
Jauregui has only just woken up. Clinical as you like in what is undoubtedly the biggest win of Souza’s career so far.
01:36 , Will Castle
Round three
Nice one-two from Chairez but Van quickly replies with an overhand of his own. Both beginning to slow down after a gruelling first two rounds but still vast potential for a finish here.
Chairez slips and ends up his back, Van flies in with a hammer fist but doesn’t connect. Up against the cage and the pair and Van finds himself at risk of a triangle, but manages to escape and produce a fair few good ground strikes – something that could prove pivotal on the scorecards.
Not as high octane as the previous rounds but a very entertaining fight nonetheless as it goes the distance. The judges scorecards are in, and…
Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Superb display from Van, especially given the fact he took the fight on short notice. No training camp? No problem.
01:27 , Will Castle
Round two
Swing and a miss from Chairez and Van comes into the second looking a different man.
Brilliant combinations from Van and Chairez is stumbling on his feet in real danger. The Mexican is getting battered, the fight is maybe five seconds away from being stopped – but then out of nowhere, spinning back fist from Chairez!
Van is right back on the defensive and needs to take Chairez for a reprieve. The two get back to their feet and are going tit for tat with headshots. They end up on the ground again and Chairez goes for a guillotine, his specialist submission, but can’t lock it in.
A wild second round. Some way to start the night.
01:22 , Will Castle
Round one
Chairez starts the more aggressive and finds early success with his low kicks. Quickly becomes clear that Van is struggling to deal with the targeting of his left leg.
Growing in confidence, Chairez begins to do damage further up the body and connects with a vicious knee. With a minute to go, he connects with a one-two to knock Van down, but the American is back up instantly.
Van is able to survive for the rest of the round. Chairez will be happy with the first five minutes.
01:12 , Will Castle
We join the broadcast midway through the only early prelim of the night as Raul Rosas Jr. goes to battle with Aoriqileng.
A largely dominant effort from the 19-year-old as the fight goes the distance.
Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Three in a row for Rosas Jr. Onto the prelims – Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van up next.
Sunday 15 September 2024 00:45 , Alex Pattle
If the UFC delivers on its president’s promise, tonight will bring the “greatest sporting event of all time”. Those were the words of Dana White, talking up the first sports event to take place at the revolutionary Sphere in Las Vegas: UFC 306, or UFC Noche, or Riyadh Season UFC Noche (306).
See, the sell of tonight’s fight card has been muddled. The pay-per-view event is UFC 306, following the MMA company’s typical numbering pattern. Nominally, it is UFC Noche, a celebration of Mexican fighters on Mexican Independence weekend (even though the main event does not feature a fighter from the nation). And promotionally, it is Riyadh Season UFC Noche, as the second UFC event with Saudi involvement.
Yet it might well have been called UFC Sphere. Many readers will be aware of the game-changing venue, which opened a year ago and sports a domed screen all over its exterior, and another immersive screen inside. It has thus far hosted music groups like U2 and Eagles, has screened films, and has played a background role in the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
But on Saturday (14 September), the Sphere will play no background role. “The Sphere is the star of the show,” an ever-bullish White told ESPN this week. “You’ve never experienced anything like this in your life. While we were watching U2 […] you listen to the music and watch the images, and every once in a while you look over at U2. I’m like: ‘This would be fascinating to pull off a sporting event.’ This is where sports and entertainment truly come together for the first time ever.”
But is all as it seems? Here are the potential problems with tonight’s show…
The real ‘star’ of UFC 306 isn’t even a fighter
Sunday 15 September 2024 00:00 , Alex Pattle
In the main event of UFC 306 tonight, Sean O’Malley takes on Merab Dvalishvili in a highly-anticipated bantamweight title fight.
“Sugar Sean” O’Malley is making his second defence of the belt, having won it from Aljamain Sterling with a picture-perfect knockout last August, before retaining it with a masterclass against Marlon Vera in March.
The American star may face a stern test in Las Vegas, however, as he encounters a challenger on a 10-fight win streak. Georgia’s Dvalishvili enters the Sphere on the back of three straight victories against former champions: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
And in the co-main event of UFC 306, Alexa Grasso defends her flyweight title against divisional icon Valentina Shevchenko, in a long-awaited trilogy bout. Grasso submitted Shevchenko in a shock result in 2022, before the pair fought to a controversial draw in 2023.
Elsewhere at UFC 306, which has also been branded ‘UFC Noche’ as a celebration of Mexican fighting on the nation’s Independence weekend, Diego Lopes fights Brian Ortega.
