UFC 306 live: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili results and analysis

Sean O’Malley makes the second defense of his UFC men’s bantamweight championship against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of two-title-fight UFC 306 on Saturday, Sept. 14, in Las Vegas.

The event, which the fight promotion is billing as Noche UFC becauase it falls on Mexican Independence Day weekend, also features a women’s flyweight title bout between champion Alexa Grasso and former champ Valentina Shevchenko.

The main card at Sphere is on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m.

O’Malley (18-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten in his most recent seven bouts, including a decision win over Marlon Vera in March in his first title defense. O’Malley is No. 4 in the ESPN pound-for-pound men’s rankings. Dvalishvili (17-4) has won 10 in a row, most recently a February decision over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. He is No. 2 in the ESPN men’s bantamweight rankings.

Neither Grasso (16-3-1) nor Shevchenko (23-4-1) has fought since last September’s split draw, which was a rematch of the March 2023 bout in which Grasso took away the title via fourth-round submission. Grasso is No. 2 in the ESPN pound-for-pound women’s rankings, Shevchenko No. 3.

Stay here for live updates on the UFC 306 card, Sphere and more from Las Vegas.

How to watch the fights

Watch the PPV and all other fights on ESPN+: Get ESPN+ here.

Watch the prelims on ESPNews. Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV schedule

Don’t have ESPNews? Get instant access.

There’s also FightCenter, which offers live updates for every UFC card.

The fight card

DC and Chael break down Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy fight

Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen preview the upcoming trilogy fight between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 306.

Men’s bantamweight championship: Sean O’Malley (c) vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Women’s flyweight: Alexa Grasso (c) vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
Lightweight: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
Men’s flyweight: Ronaldo Rodríguez vs. Ode’ Osbourne
Women’s bantamweight: Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
Lightweight: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
Strawweight: Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui
Men’s flyweight: Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez
Men’s bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng
(c) = defending champion

Suga vs. The Machine: O’Malley and Dvalishvili face off ahead of title fight

He’s coming for that bantamweight title 👀@MerabDvalishvil is confident heading into #UFC306

[ @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/ZdsmWieaRu

— UFC (@ufc) September 14, 2024

¡Hora de callar y pelear! 🤐@SugaSeanMMA vs @MerabDvalishvil

[ #UFC306 at @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC en vivo ahora en @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/7R5Z4vFkyc

— UFC (@ufc) September 14, 2024

‘One time for the Gringos’: Grasso and Shevchenko have final face off

Blessed to be a part of history! 🙏@AlexaGrasso will defend her belt tomorrow night at #UFC306

[ @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/wq5051U7ra

— UFC (@ufc) September 14, 2024

She’s feeling stronger than ever! 💪@BulletValentina is recharged ahead of #UFC306

[ @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV | SAT | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/ECyyTqr85K

— UFC (@ufc) September 14, 2024

UFC 306 ceremonial weigh-ins get the Mariachi treatment!

The scenes at Sphere 🔥🇲🇽 #NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/XJAts6fx8t

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 14, 2024

Weight made: UFC 306 title fights are official

The #NocheUFC main event is on!

Sean O’Malley (135)
Merab Dvalishvili (134) pic.twitter.com/HDEJ40dhkv

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) September 13, 2024

The #NocheUFC co-man event is official.

Alexa Grasso: 124
Valentina a Shevchenko: 125 pic.twitter.com/gmMtMwWeeF

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) September 13, 2024

Dana White’s $25K Easter egg hunt

Why the Sphere could benefit O’Malley against Dvalishvili

Daniel Cormier and Brett Okamoto discuss how the atmosphere at the Sphere could give Sean O’Malley an advantage over Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC.

Brett Okamoto: The UFC has a history of paying performance bonuses to athletes at every event. This weekend, it will potentially dole out one of those bonuses to a fan.

ESPN UFC CEO Dana White said he will pay $25,000 to anyone who identifies hidden Easter eggs in a running movie that will air during UFC Noche on Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The event, also known as UFC 306, will be the first live sporting affair to take place at the Sphere, and White has said it will be a one-and-done occasion.

The UFC has partnered with multiple creative artists to produce a movie that will air between bouts, along with 10 different “worlds” that will play on-screen during fights.

Dana White to award fan able to identify Easter eggs at UFC 306

Where’s the betting advantages at UFC 306?

Merab Dvalishvili discusses fallout from posting cut to face online

Merab Dvalishvili tells Andreas Hale how he is healing from the now infamous picture he posted of the cut to his face.

Andreas Hale: Sean O’Malley, No. 4 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, enters the fight following his first title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. O’Malley beat Vera by unanimous decision. Merab Dvalishvili, No. 2 in ESPN’s bantamweight rankings, is riding a 10-fight winning streak. Dvalishvili has not lost a fight since April 2018.

In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso clashes with former champion Valentina Shevchenko in a trilogy bout for Grasso’s title. Grasso, No. 2 in ESPN’s women’s MMA P4P rankings, beat Shevchenko by fourth-round submission to claim the title at UFC 285 in March 2023. In the rematch, Grasso retained the title via split draw in September 2023.

Andreas Hale spoke to UFC strawweight Angela Hill to get her perspective on the UFC 306 main and co-main events. ESPN betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis on the UFC main event and other intriguing bets they like from both promotions on Saturday.

Expert picks and best bets for UFC 306 and Bellator Champions Series

O’Malley’s superstar path remains unchanged

How Sean O’Malley plans to reach Conor McGregor’s popularity in the UFC

Sean O’Malley joins “First Take” fresh off winning the bantamweight title at UFC 292 and talks about potentially reaching the height of Conor McGregor’s popularity.

Brett Okamoto: On Saturday, the 29-year-old O’Malley (18-1) will headline perhaps the highest-profile event in the UFC’s 30-year history. According to CEO Dana White, Noche UFC inside Sphere in Las Vegas will be a “one-and-done” event, due to the sheer cost ($20 million, according to White) of putting it on. Individual seats for the UFC 306 card headlined by O’Malley’s bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili (17-4) have been listed for as much as $13,000 during fight week. It’s the kind of event every fighter — or, more accurately, prizefighter — dreams of. Even Conor McGregor, who has had a bit of a nasty public back-and-forth with O’Malley this year, wanted to headline this Sphere event, potentially against his old rival Nate Diaz. O’Malley admired McGregor until this year, and even said he’s tried to mimic parts of his career off McGregor’s. Ultimately, the honor and responsibility of headlining UFC 306 went to O’Malley.

Which is exactly what O’Malley wanted. He started his camp for this particular fight date before the UFC even offered it to him.

Sitting in this very living room where he stands today, O’Malley used to dream of fame and money, money and fame. Those dreams began as early as middle school, when he used to picture himself suiting up for an NFL team on Sundays. When he reached high school, he came to terms that he was too small to ever play in the NFL. Perhaps non-coincidentally, that’s also the exact same time in his life he started to kickbox.

UFC champion Sean O’Malley reflects on his rise to stardom

Turki, Canelo, Dana and Rock battle for No. 1

Mike Coppinger: Many of the most powerful figures in the fight game will converge on Las Vegas this week for a rare offering, one that features boxing’s top star, Canelo Alvarez, and the first live sporting event at the revolutionary Sphere with UFC 306.

Canelo’s unified super middleweight championship defense vs. long-odds underdog Edgar Berlanga and Sean O’Malley’s UFC bantamweight title fight against Merab Dvalishvili will coincide Saturday evening, an unusual conflict of high-profile combat sports events in Las Vegas.

And with it, the fight game’s power players will all be represented in person between both events. There’s Turki Alalshikh, whose lucrative Riyadh Season sponsorship helped make it possible for Dana White and the UFC to hold an event at the exorbitantly priced Sphere. White said the cost of the immersive venue has topped $20 million. It’s the first pay-per-view event from White that isn’t simply billed as UFC followed by a numeral.

With some of the biggest names going head-to-head on Saturday night in Las Vegas, who’s pulling the strings in the fight game? ESPN spoke to 30-plus industry power players — fighters, promoters, executives, lawyers, managers and media — to help determine who currently holds all the influence across boxing, MMA and pro wrestling and how they wield it.

The 15 most influential people in boxing, MMA and wrestling

UFC 306 storylines: Will any fight outshine the venue itself?

Jeff Wagenheim: At first glance, the UFC’s approach to celebrating Mexican Independence Day this coming weekend seems perplexing.

UFC 306, which takes place Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas, is headlined by a fight between an Irish-American from Montana and a New Yorker transplanted from the Republic of Georgia. And to add to the quizzically all-over-the-map motif, the event is sponsored by an arm of the government of Saudi Arabia.

Branding and marquee toppers aside, though, there will indeed be a Mexican theme permeating the second annual Noche UFC (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET). Before the main event between men’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, all nine of the evening’s other bouts will feature a Mexico-born or Mexican American fighter. The co-main event pits women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso — out of Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco — against former titlist Valentina Shevchenko, to complete a trilogy that’s already full of twists.

Beyond the competitive stakes, the overarching ambiance of the night promises to visually and aurally transport fans south of the border. This first sporting event at Sphere, the cutting-edge entertainment venue that opened last year just off the Las Vegas Strip, will take full advantage of the mind-numbing technology built into the humongous round structure. Throughout the night, the UFC will use the 160,000-square-foot wraparound LED screen and concert-quality sound system to tell the story of combat sports in Mexico.

Championship fights. Breathtaking production. Big-time stakes. There will be storylines swirling all around the spherical wonder of UFC 306. Here are a few to pay attention to.

UFC 306 storylines: How Sphere, Suga Sean will shape a historic event

What fans can expect at Noche UFC

Andreas Hale: The UFC has kept a tight lid on the specifics regarding their venture into the Sphere for UFC 306 on Sept. 14. However, ahead of the event — which UFC CEO Dana White has suggested will be the greatest sporting event of all time — the promotion has revealed some key details about what fans should expect out of the $2.3 billion venue during Mexican Independence Day weekend.

The UFC will utilize Sphere’s massive 160,000 sq. ft. interior display plane and the venue’s worldclass concert-grade audio system. The interior display plane will also showcase real-time stats and fighter information.

Fans inside the Sphere will feel the action courtesy of haptic seating, which provides force feedback based on the action inside the Octagon. And they have the option to download the LiveVoice app to listen to live commentary from either the English or Spanish broadcast.

The event will also premiere the film “For Mexico, For All Time,” told in six 90-second chapters between fights and displayed inside the Sphere. The creative team behind the film boasts 29 Emmy Award wins, one Golden Globe and one Grammy.

There will be eight new Octagon girls, six native-born Mexican women and two second-generation Mexicans.