Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili headlines UFC 306, Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 booked for co-main event

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley will face the surging Merab Dvalishvili at the historic UFC 306 event at the Las Vegas Sphere.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the news of the O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili headliner on Friday.

White also announced the UFC flyweight trilogy between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko is booked for the UFC 306 co-main event.

O’Malley returns to the Octagon just months after a dominant win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299. He earned the UFC bantamweight title by knocking out Aljamain Sterling last year at UFC 292.

O’Malley is one of the UFC’s brightest stars after a series of highlight-reel finishes inside the Octagon. He’s expressed a desire to headline at the Las Vegas Sphere for months, beginning immediately after UFC 299.

Dvalishvili gets the next UFC bantamweight title shot after a 10-fight winning streak in the Octagon. He most recently defeated Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision at UFC 298.

Grasso and Shevchenko will complete arguably the greatest series in women’s MMA history at UFC 306. Grasso has earned back-to-back wins over Shevchenko, including a controversial victory at Noche UFC last year.

Grasso and Shevchenko also coached opposite each other on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter.

UFC 306 features Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili headliner

 

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The card also features a featherweight battle between two-time title challenger Brian Ortega against Diego Lopes. The two sides were supposed to co-headline UFC 303 before Ortega withdrew on hours’ notice due to an illness.

Lopes went on to compete against Dan Ige, who stepped up on hours’ notice.

Raul Rosas Jr. will kick off the UFC 306 prelims against Aoriqileng in his bantamweight return. Ronaldo Rodríguez vs. Ode’ Osbourne is the opening bout of the main card.

The September 14th UFC pay-per-view marks the first major sporting event held at the Las Vegas Sphere, a one-of-a-kind venue.