Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley in a unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new Bantamweight champion.
Dvalishvili put his talents on full display on Saturday in the main event of UFC 306, at Sphere in Paradise, Nevada.
Below, we give you the UFC 306 Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili review and all the interesting moments that happened during the fight.
Suga vs The Machine: How It Went Down
“Suga” O’Malley made his entry with his massive hologram projected onto the arena’s wall.
However, this was the only opportunity that Suga received to shine in the match. In the first round, referee Herb Dean issued a warning to Dvalishvili for attempting to engage in conversation with someone from O’Malley’s corner. During the first three minutes, both fighters cautiously gauged each other’s abilities, but it wasn’t long before Dvalishvili decided to take O’Malley to the mat, pinning him against the side of the Octagon.
In the second round, Dvalishvili took O’Malley back to the canvas, delivering strikes to his face while he was on the ground. O’Malley attempted a triangle choke, but referee Herb Dean intervened, stating that O’Malley had tried to grab the inside of Dvalishvili’s glove. As the second round came to a close, Dvalishvili once again pinned O’Malley against the side of the Octagon, playfully kissing his back before releasing him. In response, O’Malley quickly fired off a couple of punches at Dvalishvili while his back was turned, just before the round ended.
O’Malley began the third round by utilizing his legs to kick at Dvalishvili while both fighters remained on their feet. However, Dvalishvili successfully caught one of O’Malley’s legs, bringing him back down to the canvas. Once on the ground, Dvalishvili unleashed a series of knee strikes to O’Malley’s face and hip. Despite this, the fighters spent the majority of the round in a standing position, with O’Malley effectively evading Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts.
Dvalishvili was able to take O’Malley down again in the next round, but he ended up with a cut on his face. O’Malley looked for a chance to stand up, but Dvalishvili kept using his weight and different strikes to wear him down. As the fourth round came to an end, O’Malley showed signs of being tired and frustrated.
In the first minute and a half of the final round, Dvalishvili maintained his distance from O’Malley, looking for a chance to take him down. During the last two minutes, O’Malley returned to his strategy of leg and knee strikes, aiming to knock out Dvalishvili. However, Dvalishvili stayed patient and kept his distance, ultimately securing the victory after a dominant performance.
Dvalishvili was announced as the winner by unanimous decision, making him the new Bantamweight champion. O’Malley now faces the challenge of rebuilding his career after this clear defeat.
UFC 306: Fight Results
The fights at UFC 306 were divided into three cards:
Main Card
- Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley (C) vs Merab Dvalishvili
- Women Flyweight: Alexa Grasso (C) vs Valentina Shevchenko
- Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes
- Lightweight: Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics
- Flyweight: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode’ Osbourne
Preliminary Card
- Women Bantamweight: Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont
- Lightweight: Manuel Torres vs Ignacio Bahamondes
- Women Strawweight: Yazmin Jauregui vs Ketlen Souza
- Flyweight: Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van
Early Prelims
- Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. vs Aoriqileng
The event was rebranded as UFC Noche in honour of the Mexican Independence Day. the entire sphere glittered in lights and a movie paying tribute to Mexico’s history and culture was played throughout the evening on enormous LED screens inside the arena.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that the event cost a whopping $20 million (£15.3m), and generated a record gate of $22 million (£16.7 million).
In the second main card event, Valentina Shevchenko showcased excellent wrestling and ground control to secure victory against Alexa Grasso to reclaim the flyweight title. It was the second title that changed hands on Saturday.
Diego Lopes impressed with a powerful striking performance against Brian Ortega, while Esteban Ribovics edged out Daniel Zellhuber in a thrilling fight that highlighted Ribovics’ knockout power.
Ronaldo Rodriguez and Norma Dumont also won their bouts, with Rodriguez overcoming early adversity and Dumont using her striking volume to outpoint Irene Aldana. Ignacio Bahamondes scored a first-round knockout and Ketlen Souza achieved a quick submission.
Joshua Van and Raul Rosas Jr. both secured decision victories, demonstrating their skills and resilience throughout the night.
The event also announced upcoming fights, including Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic headlining UFC 309, along with a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler in New York City. Tickets for the event will go on sale on August 21 at 10 A.M. BST.
UFC 306: Full Results
- Merab Dvalishvili beats Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
- Valentina Shevchenko beats Alexa Grasso by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Diego Lopes beats Brian Ortega by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes beats Manuel Torres by TKO (strikes) at 4:02 of Round 1
- Ronaldo Rodríguez beats Ode Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Esteban Ribovics beats Daniel Zellhuber by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joshua Van beats Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Norma Dumont beats Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Raul Rosas Jr. beats Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ketlen Souza beats Yazmin Jauregui by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of Round 1
What’s Next for “Suga” O’Malley
29-year-old O’Malley made his UFC debut in December 2017 against USA’s Terrion Ware. Before Saturday’s fight against Dvalishvili, O’Malley had a win-loss record of 18-1. His 13-month Bantamweight title reign came to an abrupt end on Saturday when he lost to Dvalishvili.
Suga’s last match was against Ecuador’s Marlon Vera at the UFC 299 in March this year. He defeated Vera by unanimous decision 50-45, 50-45, 50-44.
O’Malley has made a name for himself with his striking prowess and unorthodox style. He also has a brown belt to his name in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Augusto Mendes.
Suga is currently ranked in sixth place in UFC’s pound-for-pound top rank rankings.
Following Saturday’s defeat, he declined to speak with the media and chose to break his silence with a statement on the social media platform, X. “Over promised and under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys,” O’Malley wrote on his X page.
Suga was promoted as the star of Saturday’s event, but his performance showed he still has clear holes in his game. Since he has won the Bantamweight title only once, he will have to string together some wins before UFC gives him another shot at the belt.
Talks are on with 28-year-old Russian MMA star, Umar Nurmagomedov, to be his next opponent. However, the fight won’t happen till at least the first quarter of next year.
What’s Next for Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili is the newly crowned UFC Bantamweight Champion.
The 33-year-old debuted in 2017, suffering a loss against USA’s Frankie Saenz. His next fight yielded the same result as Ricky Simón, another American fighter defeated Dvalishvili via technical submission at the final bell.
Dvalishvili’s first win in UFC came against USA’s Terrion Ware on September 15, 2018. Since then, Dvalishvili has not lost a single fight and is on an 11-match winning streak. His win and loss record now stands at 18-4.
Dvalishvili is currently in first place in the Bantamweight rankings. He is ranked second in the most takedowns in UFC history, with 85 takedowns. He is just five takedowns away from equalling the record for most takedowns in UFC.
has sent feelers to Dvalishvili as well for a match. He was present in the box for Saturday’s match, studying both contenders. After his win, the UFC commentator asked Dvalishvili point blank, “How do you feel about Umar Nurmagomedov being your next opponent?”. However, Dvalishvili side-stepped the question and responded, “Dana White is a great man, he changed my life, I love this company, I’m a normal guy”.
Umar Nurmagomedov later tweeted: “I expected more from Sean, Merab did his job well. I hope he won’t avoid the real challenger. In any case, I’m ready.”
More MMA Fights to Look Forward To
28 September
- UFC Fight Night Paris: Renato Moicano v Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
5 October, Salt Lake City, USA
- UFC 307: Alex Pereira v Khalil Rountree (UFC light-heavyweight title)
- Raquel Pennington v Julianna Pena (UFC bantamweight title)
12 October, Las Vegas, USA
- UFC Fight Night 244: Brandon Royval v Tatsuro Taira (flyweight)
- Cory McKenna v Polyana Viana (strawweight)
19 October, Las Vegas, USA
- UFC Vegas 99: Michel Pereira v Anthony Hernandez (middleweight)
- Brady Hiestand v Jake Hadley (bantamweight)
26 October Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- UFC 308: Ilia Topuria v Max Holloway (UFC featherweight title)
- Robert Whittaker v Khamzat Chimaev (middleweight)
- Lerone Murphy v Dan Ige (featherweight)
15 November, New York, USA
- UFC 309
7 December, Las Vegas, USA
- UFC 310
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