It would not be far off to say that the performance of Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC (UFC 306) was perhaps the worst he’s ever had in the Octagon — and it ultimately cost him the UFC bantamweight championship.
O’Malley appeared to struggle with the pressure and takedowns brought on by Merab Dvalishvili as the two faced off in the main event at the Sphere. Though “Suga” gave the Georgian some trouble in the fight’s final round, Dvalishvili ended up scoring a unanimous decision to win the title.
Not long after the loss, O’Malley made a brief statement on social media, noting the disappointment left in his performance and the result.
“Over promised under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys,” O’Malley wrote.
Over promised under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys.
Sean O’Malley Admits Bad Night, Dana White Says He Looked ‘Flat’
Though there were bizarre circumstances at the start of the fight, the opening rounds saw Dvalishvili make a statement with several takedowns and a couple of guillotine attempts that troubled O’Malley. The defending champ landed the fight’s strongest strikes toward the end of the third round, but that was after another four minutes of grappling masterclass from the Georgian.
Several front kicks to the midsection left Dvalishvili hurt and in danger in the fifth round, but O’Malley did not turn up the intensity, and it was too little, too late.
Even UFC CEO Dana White noted the poor performance from O’Malley, saying he looked “flat.”
“He didn’t look sharp. He didn’t look crisp,” White said at the UFC 306 post-fight press conference.
Dvalishvili has now won 11 straight fights after dropping his first two Octagon outings. He also gained an ounce of revenge for his teammate and good friend Aljamain Sterling, who O’Malley knocked out at UFC 292 to capture the bantamweight gold.
O’Malley retained the title once, defeating Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in March.
The first three fights on the UFC 306 main card had everyone hyped up. Ronaldo Rodriguez, Esteban Ribovics, and Diego Lopes secured decision wins but the back-and-forth action compensated for the lack of finishes.
Daniel Cormier compared the two title fights at UFC 306 and explained what made the main event relatively better than the co-main…
Daniel Cormier Claims Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Was More Exciting Than Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko Despite Similar Outcome
Cormier recently admitted Grasso vs. Shevchenko to be lackluster while reacting to UFC 306 on his YouTube channel. He hesitated but called “Bullet” the better fighter between the two.
Although Dvalishvili had a similar game plan against O’Malley, the former UFC double champ credited “Suga” for maintaining threats throughout the fight. On the flip side, Grasso spent much of the fight trying to get back on her feet and gathering failed submission attempts.
“It was not the funniest fight. It felt like the Merab fight was a little more intriguing because of the danger that Sean O’Malley always seemed to possess. But, Alexa just got dominated and she’s going to have to figure that out. She seemed to spend a lot of time trying to fight off of her back because she knew she would get taken down. But all that did was allow for time to run and when time runs and you’re on your back, you’re losing. Sure, she had some good submission attempts but that’s not enough.”
“The Machine” beat O’Malley via decision comfortably but the latter landed several good shots and won the last round with constant body shots. Fans could sense a finish whenever the fight went to the feet.
The former women’s UFC flyweight champion, according to Cormier, could not gain Shevchenko’s respect in striking or on the ground. He expected Grasso to show more urgency and hopes that she fixes these holes in her game going forward.
Diego Lopes beat Brian Ortega via decision at UFC 306 to rise to the top ranks of the UFC featherweight division. He almost secured a finish in the first, but unsurprisingly, Ortega showed unbelievable toughness and survived until the final bell.
Lopes earned a takedown and controlled Ortega for nearly three minutes while the latter struggled to get going throughout the fight. The prospect outstruck the former title challenger and fans are excited to see him face the likes of Max Holloway or Ilia Topuria for UFC featherweight gold.
Lopes is the new talk of the town after his dominant win, but former UFC champ Michael Bisping has found a silver lining for Ortega as well…
Michael Bisping Explains Why Diego Lopes Couldn’t Finish Brian Ortega At UFC 306
Bisping heavily appreciated Lopes for getting the better of Ortega at UFC 306 while reacting to the event on his YouTube channel. However, he believes that losing via decision is better for the veteran than being finished.
“Lopes, was kind of, he wanted to test his ground game. He wanted to send a message, he wanted to choke him out, and beat Brian Ortega at his own game. Because of that, he kind of allowed Brian to get back into the fight and see the final bell. There’s a moral kind of victory if you’re Brian Ortega and you see the final bell. Trust me, as a fighter, you want to lose by decision rather than getting finished. And there were finishes multiple times for Diego Lopes.”
“The Count” explained that trying to submit Ortega on the ground worked against Lopes. “T-City” used his experience to get a guard quickly and rejuvenate himself.
Bisping had an interesting theory about the knockdown in the first too. He claimed that the right hand knocked Ortega out and the left hook pushed him back to his senses. The former UFC champ feels the fight could have been stopped early if the Brazilian fighter stuck to striking.
Although he couldn’t get a finish, Lopes’ stock is higher than ever. He can either fight another top-ranked contender in a title eliminator or get the opportunity to grab the UFC featherweight title next.
In a fight that will definitely go down as one of the weirdest title fights in UFC history, Merab Dvalishvili gains revenge on behalf of his team and secures the UFC bantamweight championship, defeating Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 306: Noche UFC.
After a start that saw Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s corner be warned for verbally sparring with one another during the fight’s opening seconds, Dvalishvili had a strong performance in the first, thanks to a couple of takedowns and a guillotine choke attempt.
Dvalishvili continued his dominance in the second round, scoring a couple more takedowns and rode it out in top position. Dvalishvili had another choke attempt in the second round’s closing seconds when more bizarreness unfolded. The Georgian kissed O’Malley’s back, causing O’Malley to fire off a punch to the back of Dvalishvili’s head before the end of the round.
The third round proved to be more even, with Dvalishvili continuing to find success on the ground, but O’Malley delivering the fight’s strongest strikes in the final minute of the round. Dvalishvili needed just a minute or so in the fourth round to score another takedown, working over O’Malley in top position and continuing to pummel to keep control of the defending champion.
Even with O’Malley stuffing takedown attempts in the latter rounds, Dvalishvili was dominant when he got on top. Dvalishvili even rocked O’Malley in the closing seconds of the fourth round — a round in which he completely outlanded O’Malley by approximately 60 punches.
Dvalishvili looked to stay on the outside in the fifth round but had to deal with damaging front kicks from O’Malley. Dvalishvili, however, managed to survive the round and landed two additional takedowns.
One judge scored the fight 49-46 and the other two 48-47, all in Dvalishvili’s favor.
Merab Dvalishvili Captures Bantamweight Championship With Strong Decision Win Over Sean O’Malley
20 mil to watch 2 wrestling matches is crazy 😂😂😂 #UFC306#UFCNoche
Dvalishvili has now 11 straight wins after dropping his initial two in the Octagon, coming into the UFC off Dana White: Looking for a Fight.
O’Malley suffers the second loss of his MMA career. O’Malley won the championship with a knockout of Aljamain Sterling – Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate – at UFC 292. O’Malley retained the title against Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in a rematch from O’Malley’s first UFC loss.
Noche UFC (UFC 306) took place tonight from the Sphere in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!
In the main event, Sean O’Malley put his bantamweight title on the line against Merab Dvalishvili. While in the co-main event, Alexa Grasso looked to defend her flyweight title in a trilogy bout with former champ Valentina Shevchenko.
Noche UFC 306 Results:Main Card
Bantamweight Championship Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47×2)
In the co-main event of UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso in their third meeting.
The former champ was able to execute a game plan that saw her strike from distance before securing takedowns and dominating the fight with her wrestling, making for an impressive display but a slow fight.
Grasso was able to threaten with several submission attempts but none of them were close enough to really sway any of the rounds in her favor as she was beaten 50-45 across all three scorecards.
Despite them now being 1-1-1 in their trilogy of fights, this was by far the most one-sided of their encounters and with many believing that Shevchenko deserved to win the rematch, there isn’t likely to be one more fight between them as of right now.
MMA Fans React To The Conclusion Of Alexa Grasso & Valentina Shevchenko’s Trilogy
The first-ever trilogy of fights between two women in the UFC has come to an end with Shevchenko once again reigning at the top of the flyweight division.
MMA fans and fellow fighters reacted to the dominant grappling display from the “Bullet” inside the Sphere.
Did not expect this co main to be like this. Shevchenko utilizing the grappling to slow this fight down. Not allot of action but it’s a way to get the W.
Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now?
In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC 306.
Lopes managed to drop Ortega in the fight’s opening minute, but Ortega managed to survive a follow-up flurry from the rising featherweight contender.
The former featherweight title challenger was rocked again during the second round, with Lopes landing a head kick before knocking him down with a vicious leg kick. That combined with a series of leg kicks throughout the fight appeared to do damage and leave a welt on one of Ortega’s legs.
Lopes rocked Ortega hard with a combination in the third round, dropping him once more, though Ortega was able to get up and throw down until the final horn.
Diego Lopes Puts On Dominant Display In Victory Over Former Title Challenger Brian Ortega
Lopes earned respect in his UFC debut, a short-notice loss to Movsar Evolev at UFC 288, and he’s now won five straight since.
Ortega, meanwhile, has now lost three of his last four, including an unsuccessful challenge of Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 266 in September 2021.
In perhaps one of the most competitive and thrilling fights that we’ll see in the UFC this year, Esteban Ribovics managed to just narrowly eke out a victory over Daniel Zellhuber at Noche UFC 306.
The fight was even throughout, with both men seemingly equal in their striking and damage. Both men displayed high-level striking, trading with one another throughout as momentum and advantage continuously shifted over the course of their 15 minutes of battle.
The third round proved to be the most intense and thrilling, starting with Zellhuber dropping Ribovics in the opening minute.
Then, about a minute or so later, Ribovics landed a right hook that wobbled Zellhuber, with Ribovics nearly finishing him against the fence — but Zellhuber fought back and managed to survive.
Ultimately, neither man swept the scorecards in any of the three rounds. Ribovics, however, managed to just score a split decision.
Esteban Ribovics Narrowly Defeats Daniel Zellhuber In Fight Of The Year Contender
Run it back immediately and push the rest of the card back #UFCNoche
The PPV main card of UFC 306 kicked off with a bang as Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode Osbourne delivered a fantastic flyweight fight.
With a stunning use of the Sphere’s visuals as a backdrop, the two men went back-and-forth with Rodriguez taking the unanimous decision.
The Mexican fighter had to face some serious adversity in the first round after being dropped by Osbourne and caught in a triangle choke that looked to be the end of the fight.
He battled his way back into the fight and though his comeback was impressive, the scorecards appeared to suggest that the following rounds were less competitive than they were in reality.
With two judges scoring the fight 29-27 for Rodriguez, some fans were left scratching their heads, questioning whether they just watched the same fight.
Adalaide Byrd and Ron McCarthy both gave the victor a 10-8 in the second round which brings up the debate as to why that is a more dominant round than the first was for Osbourne.
#UFC306 Official Scorecard: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode Osbourne
Osbourne should have known, you can’t have a close fight against a Mexican on a Mexican event. The judges will give it to the Mexican everytime. #UFC306
Norma Dumont will have a major opportunity in her next outing after putting on a well-rounded performance in a victory over Irene Aldana that closed out the UFC 306 preliminary card at The Sphere.
But the story of the fight is more centered around the mark or, rather, the nasty gash that was left on Aldana in the fight’s aftermath.
Late in the second round, Aldana and Dumont accidentally clashed heads, resulting in Aldana being busted open. While the cutman did his best to work with the cut, the cut still lingered into the third round, and the blood was definitely affecting Aldana.
Dumont continued to deliver an all-around beating, and Aldana was left with perhaps one of, if not the, nastiest and deepest lacerations that has been seen in the Octagon.
Irene Aldana Left With The Nastiest Gash On Face In Loss To Norma Dumont
This marks Dumont’s fifth straight victory in the Octagon, improving to an 8-2 record in the UFC.
Aldana, the former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger, has traded wins and losses on a consistent basis since mid-2019, going 4-4 in her last eight.
UFC 306 is still yet to hit the heights that the fans were expecting with the PPV main card yet to come as of this writing, but there have been a lot of talking points already.
However, the reaction from fans online pointed to many being underwhelmed at how the Sphere was being utilized but there have been a few glimpses of what is still in store.
Several transitions of the background itself have produced some very impressive visuals that have certainly added to the spectacle from the opposite side of a screen.
MMA Fans React To The Early Stages Of UFC 306 Inside The Sphere
UFC 306 had a lot to live up to and as a result, the reaction online was always going to somewhat critical due to the high expectations.
The fans were promised something special and though the main card is set to be the real attraction that differentiates itself from anything we have ever seen from the MMA leader, fight fans on social media weighed in with their thoughts from the prelim card at Noche UFC.
A post from Ariel Helwani on X attracted several criticisms of the event thus far.
Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen chimed in with a brilliant take, describing the backdrop that surrounded the featured prelim between Irene Aldana and Norma Dumont.
Crisp and brutal striking once again proved key to success for Ignacio Bahamondes, as he scored a first-round finish while competing on the preliminary card of UFC 306.
Bahamondes managed to drop opponent Manuel Torres earlier in the first round and followed up with ground-and-pound, but Torres managed to survive and throw up his guard.
Torres returned to his feet and lunged forward with his counter attack. That proved to be his downfall, however, as Bahamondes landed another cracking right hand, finishing the fight from there.
Ignacio Bahamondes Impresses With Another First-Round Finish At The Sphere
Such a low IQ effort by Manuel Torres!! Fought such a stupid fight!! #UFC306
The thing about being a super aggressive finisher with a reckless approach is that you live and die by that style. Impressive KO victory for Bahamomdes #UFC306
Bahamondes is such a fucking monster man. Great counter right hand to get that KO! Now let’s give him Thiago Moises and then we can start talking about Top 15 contention #UFC306#UFCNoche
Torres was moving forward far too much. Too hasty. Needed to plan attacks and counters more against a sniper like Ignacio. #UFC306#UFCNoche#goodnight#ouch
Bahamondes has now won five of six fights since dropping his last contest in 2021. Bahamondes entered the UFC off a brutal knockout of Edson Gomez during the 2020 season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Torres, a DWCS alum in his own right, suffers his first Octagon defeat and sees a six-fight win streak snapped. He had entered tonight’s fight off a quick submission of Chris Duncan in February.
Joshua Van came out on top in an early fight of the night contender against Edgar Cháirez at UFC 306.
After Raul Rosas Jr. got proceedings underway inside the Sphere with a largely uneventful performance, the flyweights in the second fight of the night turned the heat up.
The second round in particular produced one of the best back-and-forth battles of the year, where both men could have been finished at different points.
Ultimately, Van did enough to seal the victory after stepping in late notice, taking the second and third rounds to win 29-28 across all three scorecards.
MMA Fans React To Flyweight Barnburner Between Joshua Van & Edgar Cháirez
Just like that, Noche UFC feels like it is properly underway after Van and Cháirez helped to set the tone for the rest of the evening.
MMA fans reacted on social media to a fantastic clash at 125 pounds which featured some vintage Mexican fighting spirit.
That was a really good performance from Joshua Van, really impressed with the way he mixed up his combinations #NocheUFC
A year on from their originally scheduled showdown, UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will finally do battle inside the prestigious surroundings of Madison Square Garden.
Not many topics have remained at the surface this year quite like the heavyweight championship conversation, which boasts two titleholders in the form of Jones and Tom Aspinall.
Although the Brit captured interim gold courtesy of Jones vs. Miocic getting postponed in late 2023, both “Bones” and the UFC have long remained firm in dismissing calls for a unification fight.
And in spite of plenty of campaigning from Aspinall and many in the MMA community, Jones’ first title defense is now officially set to come against the returning Miocic, who hasn’t been in action since suffering a devastating knockout at the hands of Francis Ngannou over three years ago.
The promotion confirmed to ESPN that the two legends will give an MSG clash a second go, headlining the UFC 309 pay-per-view on November 16.
Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title at #UFC309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden, UFC announced. pic.twitter.com/KzdtNoOXIx
Jones Set For First Defense 20 Months On From UFC Heavyweight Title Win
Jones (27-1, 1 NC), a former champ at 205 pounds, last entered the cage in March 2023. Over three years on from his final title defense in the lower weight class, the Rochester native debuted at heavyweight by submitting Ciryl Gane in one round to capture the then-vacant title.
His attempt to get his reign quickly underway with a defense eight months later didn’t come to fruition after a torn pectoral tendon forced him out of the MSG-held UFC 295 last November.
That injury also significantly delayed the comeback of Miocic (20-4), whose lengthy layoff has been extended by a year. The Ohio native’s previous outing came inside the Apex, where his second reign on the heavyweight throne came to a thunderous halt courtesy of Ngannou. He’d previously defeated Daniel Cormier in back-to-back fights to edge their trilogy.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 309 are as follows:
Jon Jones (C) vs. Stipe Miocic (heavyweight championship main event)
Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (lightweight co-main event)
Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov (light heavyweight)
Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (middleweight)
Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva (women’s flyweight)
Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (bantamweight)
Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo (women’s flyweight)
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (women’s flyweight)
And headlining inside the OVO Arena Wembley in London on September 14 was nine-fight Bellator veteran Leah McCourt. After the cancellation of a championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, her clash with Australia’s Sara Collins was promoted to main event status.
The Melbourne native remained undefeated, submitting McCourt inside the opening round to secure top contender status for Cris Cyborg’s Bellator women’s featherweight title.
IT'S ALL OVER! 😳
Sara Collins stops Leah McCourt in the first via RNC!
Also of note was the return of England’s own Simeon Powell, who overcame two knockdowns in the opening round to fall on the right side of a split decision against Rafael Xavier in the co-headliner. Beforehand, former UFC athlete Marc Diakiese made a successful debut and unbeaten American prospect Archie Colgan continued his winning ways.
With that said, see below for the full results, followed by all the highlights.
Bellator Champions Series: McCourt vs. Collins Results & Highlights
Full Card:
Women’s Featherweight: Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 2:25
Light Heavyweight: Simeon Powell def. Rafael Xavier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Luke Trainer def. Laurynas Urbonavicius via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 4:15
Lightweight: Marc Diakiese def. Tim Wilde via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
It seems that Michael Chandler finally got sick of waiting.
For the past year-and-a-half, Chandler has been penciled in as the return opponent for Conor McGregor. The former two-division UFC champion had his comeback announced toward the start of 2023, with the Irishman scheduled to coach opposite “Iron” on The Ultimate Fighter before sharing the cage with him.
But after 2023 passed by without that matchup reaching the Octagon, talk of a UFC 300 headliner dissipated, and an official fight date in the form of UFC 303 fell through, another calendar year looks set to come and go with the absence of “The Notorious” star.
Plenty have been urging the former Bellator champ to move on and take another fight. Despite frequently dismissing those calls, it seems that Chandler has now listened. After speaking with UFC CEO Dana White, Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox reported in a social media video that Chandler will indeed take a fight amid the uncertainty surrounding McGregor’s return.
That bout? A five-round rematch with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on November 16.
CORRECTION: I just got off the phone with Dana White, and there was a slight misunderstanding here. Michael Chandler may still fight Conor in his return next year, but he’s taking another fight first…. https://t.co/HanYNbDN7ppic.twitter.com/zh8CqD6QGu
Chandler vs. Oliveira 2 Set Three Years On From Title Fight
The major news means Chandler (23-8) and Oliveira (34-10, 1 NC) will run back their May 2021 showdown, which came just two months before the most recent Octagon appearance for McGregor.
That bout marked the second UFC outing for Chandler, who debuted earlier in the year with an emphatic first-round knockout of Dan Hooker in Abu Dhabi. While the decision to grant him a shot caused debate, “Iron” came within inches of a title crowning in the opening round of the UFC 262 main event.
But after “Do Bronx” survived, he quickly landed a fight-changing left hook to drop Chandler seconds into round two, setting up a memorable TKO finish and securing championship glory for the Brazilian.
Oliveira has since fallen from the throne and failed to regain his place on it opposite Islam Makhachev. Most recently, the ex-champ was unsuccessful in his bid for number one contender status in narrow fashion against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 this past April.
Chandler, meanwhile, has had his hand raised just once, brutally knoking out Tony Ferguson in 2022. Aside from that, the 38-year-old has suffered defeats to Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, with his submission setback to the latter in November 2022 marking his last walk to the cage.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 309 are as follows:
Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (lightweight co-main event)
Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov (light heavyweight)
Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (middleweight)
Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva (women’s flyweight)
Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (bantamweight)
Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo (women’s flyweight)
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (women’s flyweight)
Aljamain Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times before moving up to featherweight. His TKO loss to Sean O’Malley has helped teammate and friend Merab Dvalishvili to get his well-deserved title shot, though.
Sterling has no plans to move down to bantamweight despite his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar getting a mixed response in MMA circles. With eight takedowns and almost 11 minutes of control time, he completely shut down the striker, but the bout lacked excitement.
Aljo is scheduled to fight Movsar Evloev at UFC 307, and he’s already laid down the plan to reach featherweight gold in the promotion after his next fight…
Aljamain Sterling Discusses His Future In The UFC Featherweight Division If He Wins Against Movsar Evloev
Sterling was interviewed on the Helen Yee Sports YouTube channel recently. After backing his training partner to win the title at UFC 306, the former UFC bantamweight champ opened up about his plans to reach another division’s top.
“Funk Master” questioned the UFC ranking Arnold Allen over Evloev even though his upcoming opponent beat Allen via unanimous decision earlier this year. Regardless, his aim is to enter the top 5 ranking with a solid win over Evloev and challenge the winner of Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes in a title eliminator.
“I beat a guy like that, I think that puts me in a top-five conversation and then maybe the winner of Diego Lopes vs. Ortega. I fight that guy and then I fight for a world title.”
If everything goes according to this plan, Sterling can very well look forward to fighting for the UFC featherweight champion after a couple of fights. He acknowledged that Evloev is a high-level grappler and his cardio could be a problem in their bout.
“It’s a tough fight. Two high-level grapplers and, I think I just edge him out in every department. The only thing, that if I’m being fair, the only thing that Movsar might have on me that he’s been able to show of late that I haven’t shown is the cardio. Because he can go at that pace the whole time, kind of, reminds of a Merab and I’m not ignorant to that. I can break things down and not be biased, but I know we’ll be ready to go 15 minutes.”
“Funk Master” also understands that he has to get a finish in his next fight to get more fans supporting his rise to the title. As a result, we might see some urgency to get a submission from Sterling as soon as the fight begins.
Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will fight for the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306 in The Sphere, Las Vegas. The title fight is predicted to go either way because both fighters boast contrasting yet very effective styles.
However, the bantamweight division has been so stacked lately that a couple of strong contenders are already waiting for the winner. Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is riding a three-fight win streak since moving up and Umar Nurmagomedov has solidified his claim as well with a win over Cory Sandhagen.
Despite no official confirmation, Chael Sonnen believes that Nurmagomedov is indeed the next title contender in UFC’s bantamweight division. He’s also predicted the perfect way to announce the new challenger at UFC 306 itself…
Chael Sonnen Looks Forward To Umar Nurmagomedov Facing Winner Of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
On his official YouTube channel, Sonnen revealed that he ran into Nurmagomedov at The Sphere which he doesn’t think of as a coincidence. Instead, the UFC veteran predicts that the no. 2 ranked bantamweight will be seated in the front rows to appear instantly in the Octagon after the main event ends.
“The American Gangster” stated that the UFC would either have Joe Rogan announce Nurmagomedov’s title shot or he would get a proper face-off with the champ inside the ‘Octagon.
“I’m not having the debate of does he deserve it. I’m not having the debate of 18 straight, four years in the company, six in the Octagon, six wins straight. I’m not having that debate. I fully understand he could be number one contender. What I’m sharing for you, if he’s here, and they plan to put him in the front row to potentially, whether it’s a cameo for an announcement that maybe say Joe Rogan will make or it’s an organic face off. He gets in the ring and he goes nose to nose with either Merab or Sean.”
Sonnen then talked about O’Malley and Dvalishvili having contrasting takes on the next title challenger in their division. Dvalishvili thinks Figueiredo’s wins over a former champ and a title challenger make him more deserving of a shot. On the other end, O’Malley seems to have accepted the Russian’s title shot following his win over Sandhagen.
All of this would naturally not matter if Sonnen’s prediction is true. He strongly believes that the undefeated Dagestani prospect is attending the live event only to help the UFC announce the next bantamweight title fight.
It is worth noting that Sonnen doesn’t believe Figueiredo doesn’t deserve to fight for the title yet. He just sees Nurmagomedov as a bigger draw because of his last win and his training family which comprises Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Islam Makhachev, among other dominant fighters.
Read More: Coach Claims Ilia Topuria Is A More Favorable Matchup For Sean O’Malley Than Max Holloway: ‘He’s Pretty Flat-Footed’
Hooker’s recent success has caught the attention of Fiziev, who, earlier this month, threw down the gauntlet on X by challenging the 34-year-old Kiwi. Fiziev even dubbed the potential matchup a “Fight of the Year contender.”
If me and Mr. Tattoo @danthehangman step into the octagon, I guarantee it’ll be an easy Fight of the Year contender 💥
However, “Ataman’s” ambitions seem to have been tossed into a cold bag by Hooker, who has expressed that he’s no longer interested in the bout…
Hooker Puts Fiziev’s Form Behind Reluctance To Accept The Bout
During a recent interview with ENGAGE, Hooker addressed Fiziev’s fight callout, revealing that he’s not keen on facing the 31-year-old Azerbaijani due to his recent string of losses.
“The Hangman” further explained that he had initially called out “Ataman” for a bout at UFC 305 but Fiziev’s request for more time meant that the opportunity has now passed.
Hooker is now aiming to fight within the top five.
“I don’t want to fight him. I’m not excited for that fight,” Hooker said. “The guy’s coming off two losses. He’s sitting on the shelf. I called him out for the Perth card; I asked him if he wanted to fight on Perth, but he wasn’t ready. Now he’s ready, but that ship has long sailed, mate. That fight does not excite me;. Obviously, it excites him, but I have absolutely nothing to gain from that fight.”
Meanwhile, Fiziev has been on the sidelines for a year following a severe knee injury sustained during his bout against Gamrot in the headliner of a UFC Fight Night event in September 2023.
Prior to that setback, “Ataman” experienced a hard-fought majority decision loss to Gaethje at UFC 286 in March of that yae. This defeat ended his impressive five-fight win streak, a run that featured pivotal victories over Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, and Renato Moicano.
At UFC 300, Justin Gaethje was on the receiving end of Max Holloway’s iconic last-second KO. The former UFC featherweight champion broke Gaethje’s nose towards the end of the first and was winning comfortably on the scorecards, making the moment all the more special.
The loss to Holloway might be a tough pill to swallow for “The Highlight”. After losing to Charles Oliveira in a title fight, he bounced back by beating Rafael Fiziev via decision and then knocking out Dustin Poirier with a head kick. A win over Holloway could’ve set him up for a title shot against Islam Makhachev.
Holloway will soon be back in action, while Gaethje has yet to spar again. Here’s how the former interim UFC lightweight champion thinks the UFC 308 main event would go…
Justin Gaethje Honestly Admits Why He’s Backing Max Holloway To Beat Ilia Topuria At UFC 308
Gaethje talked about his UFC return with some reporters from outlets like MMA Junkie at Top Golf in Las Vegas recently. After mentioning the four ideal opponents, he discussed the UFC 308 main event between Ilia Topuria and Holloway.
“The Highlight” expects the challenger to emerge victorious but was heavily impressed by Topuria’s performance against Volkanovski. He appreciated the current UFC featherweight kingpin for being patient and executing his game plan perfectly at UFC 298.
Gaethje admitted that he would like Holloway to win also because the latter knocked him out cold at UFC 300. “Blessed” overwhelmed his opponent with patient yet clear striking and a similar strategy might help him reclaim gold at UFC 308.
Here’s what the former UFC BMF title holder said when asked to pick between Topuria and Holloway:
“I mean, I really hope that Max wins. I mean, Ilia was so impressive with Volkanovski, his patience. He fought an amazing fight. Um, I don’t know. I expected something different than I saw from Max, I was very impressed. And so, in my mind, I can’t see him losing but that’s cause I just got put to sleep by him.”
With a remarkable 10-fight winning streak under his belt, Dvalishvili has been relentlessly pushing for a long-overdue title opportunity. However, O’Malley chose to defend his belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 this past March, successfully avenging the only blemish on his otherwise stellar UFC record.
The 33-year-old Georgian enters the bout riding high after a commanding unanimous decision victory over former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February. Dvalishvili’s unbeaten streak boasts decisive wins over elite competition, including former champions Petr Yan and José Aldo, as well as a host of other top-tier opponents.
Dvalishvili has undeniably toiled tirelessly for his long-awaited title shot, and now he’s primed to prove his mettle on one of the sport’s grandest stages. ‘The Machine’ is more determined than ever to clinch the 135-pound belt…
Dvalishvili Says He’ll Feel ‘Relieved’ After Dethroning O’Malley At Noche UFC 306
During a recent interview with Bleacher Report, “The Machine” gave his insights into the upcoming title clash with O’Malley at Noche UFC 306.
Dvalishvili opened up about the significance of becoming a UFC champion, a status he says he has diligently worked towards throughout his career.
“We [fighters] have just one dream: to become UFC champion,” Dvalishvili said. “After that, I’m really, truly telling you, if I die, I don’t care. I cannot even imagine [having the belt put on me], man. I just want to feel the reality. I am doing everything for that. I don’t wanna even dream about it.”
Dvalishvili also mentioned that he’s uncertain about his plans following a potential title victory this weekend, but he’s certain it would lift a significant weight off his shoulders. He expressed a desire to show that even an ordinary person can achieve their dreams through unwavering dedication and relentless hard work.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna say, I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I know one thing for sure: I will be so happy, so relieved, and I know I will do lots of great things with the gold and with the UFC belt,” Dvalishvili continued. “I want to travel the world, and I wanna show the people I’m just a normal guy, a small guy, but I’m hardworking, and if I work hard and I got this belt, you guys can get everything too. Just work hard and just chase your dream. Believe in yourself.”
Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, recently shared his picks for an MMA Mount Rushmore. Intriguingly, Jon Jones was conspicuously absent from his list.
The reigning UFC heavyweight champion’s name is a natural inclusion in any conversation about the greatest MMA fighter of all time (GOAT), and his achievements would appear to certainly validate that status. “Bones” boasts a career marked by extraordinary accomplishments and historic milestones.
At just 23, Jones made history by defeating then-light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua in the third round at UFC 128 in March 2011, securing his place as the youngest UFC champion ever. From that moment, he never looked back, embarking on a remarkable journey that culminated in an unprecedented 13 successful title defenses.
However, Kavanagh’s all-time MMA elite list boasts an array of unexpected names, and it overlooks Jones despite his legendary career…
Kavanagh Reveals Five Picks for MMA Mount Rushmore With No Jones
During a recent discussion with Lucky Block, Kavanagh was prompted to name the greatest MMA fighters of all time. The renowned coach listed five names, deviating from the traditional four-person Mount Rushmore.
Naturally, Kavanagh included “The Notorious” as his first pick, highlighting the remarkable achievements of his student and the profound impact he’s had on the sport.
“Unsurprisingly, I’m going to name Conor first because he became the first simultaneous two-weight world champion. That’s no small feat, but also what he did for the game in general, his general introduction of MMA to a whole world who would have never seen it, really. He’s the first and maybe the only one to truly cross over into, let’s say, normal life, and obviously, now he’s in movies as well. A lot of people to be thankful that if you’re involved in the MMA industry, you probably had a few guys walk into your gym because of Conor’s influence.”
Kavanagh then listed Russian MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko among his favorites, followed by UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn, recognizing his McGregor-esque achievements.
For his fourth pick, he named another legend, former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
“Number two, I’ll say Fedor Emelianenko. He’s one of my favorite fighters of all time. Incredible Russian fighter. I’m going to say, BJ Penn, another two-weight world champion. Incredible skill set. At four, I have to go for Anderson Silva. I think some record number of title defenses and just so skillful, you watch him back in the day when he was fighting someone who’s a kind of a friend of mine, Forrest Griffin. Forrest is so tough, so durable, so good, and Anderson made the poor guy look like he’d never trained. He has amazing skills.”
The SBG Ireland founder placed the first women’s UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, as his fifth pick, celebrating her as a trailblazer who revolutionized women’s MMA.
“At five I will say Ronda Rousey and not just for her amazing victories in the UFC, but the fact that she really introduced women’s MMA to the world. Dana was pretty headstrong all those years, saying he would never have women in MMA. And I think he took one look at her and said, let’s get women in MMA. So, there we go. That’s my five.”
Kavanagh’s omission of “Bones” from his MMA Mount Rushmore is indeed surprising, but he’s not alone in leaving out the former light heavyweight champion.
After unseating Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and withstanding a challenge from Marlon Vera in Miami this past March, “Sugar” is next tasked with stalling the championship ambitions of Merab Dvalishvili to continue his reign atop the 135-pound mountain.
The celebration of Mexican Independence Day will also see the nation’s own champion in action, with Alexa Grasso set to defend her flyweight gold in a trilogy contest opposite Valentina Shevchenko.
Ahead of the event, all 20 fighters successfully made weight. With that, every fight has remained intact, and all that remains on Friday night is for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 306 ceremonial weigh-ins!
Check out a live stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, commencing at 10 p.m. ET.
Sean O’Malley recently asserted that after Ilia Topuria’s upcoming clash with Max Holloway, the only clear course for “El Matador” is a showdown with him.
Topuria is gearing up to defend his featherweight crown for the first time in a highly anticipated clash against Holloway, headlining UFC 308 on October 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“Suga” has been zeroing in on Topuria ever since retaining his bantamweight title against former foe Marlon Vera at UFC 299 this past March. Following his victory, O’Malley wasted no time in calling out the Georgian-Spanish fighter, even trading jabs with him on social media and igniting talk of a potential champ vs. champ super fight.
However, before O’Malley can lock horns with Topuria, he must first overcome another Georgian obstacle — Merab Dvalishvili.
The 29-year-old Montana native is set to put his title on the line against “The Machine’ in the headlining bout of Noche UFC 306, taking place this Saturday inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The more I think about the Ilia fight, I’m like, you know what, Ilia needs me,” O’Malley said. “Who’s he going to fight next? [If] he goes out there and beats Max [Holloway at UFC 308], who is he going to fight next? I have guys lined up. I have big fights. Ilia needs me more than I need Ilia.”
However, “Suga” voiced some hesitation, suggesting that he doubts Topuria will even make it past “Blessed” at UFC 308.
“To be honest, I don’t think he’s gonna get past Max anyway, so I’m kind of switching gears from that. We got guys like Umar that I think are going to be massive fights,” O’Malley added.”
Although Topuria, who knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to capture the 145-pound title, has never openly entertained the idea of facing O’Malley, he didn’t entirely dismiss it.
After O’Malley called him out following UFC 299, “El Matador” left the door open for a potential showdown, fueling further speculation about a future clash.
Suga, congrats.. Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab.. Get that done first .
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has arrived at the fight capital of the world to help support a teammate of his.
Iron sharpens iron is a clichéd saying in combat sports, but it’s a commonly used phrase because it is largely true.
At UFC 306 this weekend, Muhammad believes that fight fans are going to see the evolution of one of his close training partners, who has helped him reach the top of the 170-pound weight class.
Lightweight contender Ignacio Bahamondes has been incredibly entertaining during his UFC tenure, and “Remember The Name” is expecting big things from him on September 14…
Belal Muhammad Says Ignacio Bahamondes Will ‘Show Out’ At The Sphere
Bahamondes has been in the UFC for four years now, winning his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series on the same episode as light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg.
With some incredibly flashy finishes on his highlight reel, he’s always worth keeping an eye out for, and his clash with Manuel Torres this weekend is no different.
The 27-year old knockout artist is looking to secure back-to-back victories at the Sphere and his teammate only has positive things to say about him.
Speaking on an episode of UFC 306 Embedded, Muhammad spoke about the relationship they have built and the hard work Bahamondes has been putting in for this fight.
“Biggest show of the year so far, the Sphere. Excited for it, here with my brother Ignacio Bahamondes. Literally my right hand man for all my camps, so to be able to come here, support him, and watch him make history, it’s going to be an epic week.
“Honestly, that’s my brother so I would do anything for him and he’s helped me and he’s helped me grow so much in all my fight camps, and especially more recently, everything that we’ve done together, I’ve seen him come in and grow as a fighter. To see where he is now, people are going to be surprised when he shows out on Saturday at the Sphere.”
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