UFC 306: Dominant Merab Dvalishvili powers past Sean O'Malley, Valentina Shevchenko beats Alexa Grasso
Updated 15/09/2024 at 10:00 GMT
Merab Dvalishvili took the UFC bantamweight crown away from Sean O'Malley, as the Georgian won via a unanimous decision in Las Vegas. Valentina Shevchenko was the star of the show in the co-main event, retaining her flyweight title with a superb performance against Alexa Grasso. Elsewhere, there were wins for Diego Lopes, Esteban Ribovics and Ronaldo Rodriguez on a stacked main card.
Merab Dvalishvili
Image credit: Getty Images
Merab Dvalishvili won the UFC bantamweight crown from Sean O'Malley, dominating the lone male American champion throughout the five-round contest.
The fight had bizarre elements with Dvalishvili initially refusing to fight as he argued with the American's corner, and then kissing the back of the reigning champion at the end of the second, before releasing a hold at the end of the round, allowing O'Malley to land shots to the back of his head.
Each round saw O'Malley on the mat for long periods with the Georgian controlling the contest.
The last round saw O'Malley hurt Dvalishvili with kicks to the body, but the Georgian could see out time to the fight's conclusion knowing victory was secure.
Perhaps surprisingly, two judges gave the new champion the fight by the narrow margin of 48-47, with the other giving him the win by 49-46.
In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko added to her incredible UFC legacy by regaining the flyweight title with a shutout victory over Alexa Grasso, in the third match between the fighters.
Grasso won the first fight in UFC's first women's trilogy via submission and then held on to her title after a controversial draw, but on this occasion the fight was not close, with the Kyrgyzstan fighter taking her opponent down eight times over the course of the contest.
Elsewhere on the card, Diego Lopes outfought Brian Ortega to win a decisive points decision to push himself nearer a shot at the UFC featherweight title.
On a night where full use of the Sphere was made to tell stories about Mexico's history and culture with remarkable production, there was a slight dampener for many fans with Mexican fighters on the wrong end of results down the card.
Argentine Esteban Ribovics won via a split decision over popular flyweight Daniel Zellhuber in a vicious fight of the year contender.
Compatriot strawweight fighter Yazmin Jauregui was made to tap out to a choke hold from Ketlen Souza in the first round after being floored by a left hook, while Manuel Torres needed the referee to step in after Chilean Ignacio Bahamondes' stunning counter shot put him down in the opening round of their lightweight contest.
UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili Results
- Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
- Valentina Shevchenko defeats Alexa Grasso by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Diego Lopes defeats Brian Ortega by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Esteban Ribovics defeats Daniel Zellhuber by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ronaldo Rodriguez defeats Ode Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Norma Dumont defeats Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes defeats Manuel Torres by TKO (strikes) at 4:02 of round one
- Ketlen Souza defeats Yazmin Jauregui by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of round one
- Joshua Van defeats Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raul Rosas Jr. defeats Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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