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UFC 306: Merab Dvalishvili mauls Sean O'Malley to grab UFC bantamweight title

uncrowned staff · jack baer

Merab Dvalishvili looked eager and he looked relentless at UFC 306. Most notably, he looked like a champion.

He now has a belt to match.

Over the course of 25 minutes, Dvalishvili cumulatively mauled UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley to win via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) and extend a UFC bantamweight-record 11-fight win streak. Facing a lethal striker in O'Malley, Dvalishvili maintained a manic pace until O'Malley was gasping for air in the championship rounds.

"The Machine" just kept coming, even as a few O'Malley strikes left some cuts on his face. More than a few times, O'Malley wasn't just taken down but slammed into the mat, and the striking specialist had no answers for the Georgian on the ground.

There were weird moments, though. The fight was paused after only a few seconds in the first round when Dvalishvili appeared to get in an argument with O'Malley's coach, Tim Welch. There was also a, shall we say, incident in which Dvalishvili kissed O'Malley while against the fence then got up and walked away with four seconds left in the second round, which gave O'Malley enough time to get up and land another strike.

O'Malley still managed to show enough in the third and fifth rounds to avoid a shutout, but Dvalishvili had a clear enough advantage that the entire Sphere crowd should have known O'Malley needed a finish. He didn't get it.

In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed her UFC women's flyweight belt with a masterclass in her trilogy fight against Alexa Grasso. The future Hall of Famer outlanded her opponent 45-18 while dominating her on the ground, landing 8-of-12 takedown attempts and recording more than 16 minutes of ground control time.

Grasso had a couple moments, most notably a guillotine in the fourth round that had Shevchenko stuck for a minute or so, but ultimately went nowhere.

In the background of all this, literally, was the Sphere's awe-inspiring visuals. The UFC reportedly spent $20 million — 10 times more than a normal card — for the high-tech venue and its enormous, round LED screen, and it all made for a once-ina-lifetime experience, with special "Noche UFC" presentations in between fights in honor of Mexican Independence Day.

Here's how it all went down via Yahoo Sports:

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER153 updates
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    RESULT: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)

    THERE'S A NEW UFC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION!

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    Fight ends and Merab should win a near shutout. Incredible work by the Georgian fighter to make it look easy against O'Malley.

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    O'Malley hurts Merab with a body shot! Merab is circling and staying away. One minute left!

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    Merab scores another huge takedown. Sean is back up, but things are not looking good for the champ.

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    Merab unloads once O'Malley finally gets back to his feet in the final 15 seconds of the round. O'Malley needs a finish in the fifth round or his championship reign will come to an end in convincing fashion. Merab has dominated.

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    Merab gets the takedown in the center of the Octagon at 3:45 of Round 4. He's bleeding from the nose and ear it looks like, but he's dealing some damage on top of O'Malley.

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    Third rounds ends

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    Odd sequence at the end of the 2nd with Merab catching Sean in a guillotine, then kissing his back. Herb Dean stops him, Merab lets go and walk away then Sean springs up and hits Merab in the back of the head before the bell sounds.

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    Herb Dean stops the action after O'Malley grabs Merab's glove while he's raining blows down from top position. Good catch and great warning from Dean. Action resumes.

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    Third takedown for Merab with over 3 minutes left in Round 2.

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    Both corners tell their fighters they had beautiful rounds in the first. Longo tells Merab that O'Malley is already worried about the takedowns.

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    Merab scores the first takedown of the fight, and then another with less than a minute left in the round.

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  • Well that was bizarre. Herb Dean grants a timeout after Merab was yelling at O'Malley's coach Tim Walsh.

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    Who they are: O’Malley is the men’s bantamweight champ. He’s also the most popular fighter on this card and the driving force behind ticket and pay-per-view sales. Dvalishvili is a legitimately dangerous challenger for him. He’s won 10 straight fights and hasn’t ever looked even the least bit winded in the process. He’s one of those fighters whose motor is simply set to a higher speed — and he knows how to use that as a weapon of its own.

    Why it matters: O’Malley’s popularity has helped turn the 135-pound title into big business for the UFC. Here he faces a kind of test he hasn’t really had to pass yet. Dvalishvili is the kind of wrestling-based fighter who is constantly in your face, wearing you down with pace and pressure. O’Malley would much prefer to keep him at a safe distance where he can employ his reach and slick striking to great effect. Now it’s just a question of who will have his way.

  • Dana White announces UFC 309 will feature Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira and Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.

  • Oh dear.

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  • RESULT: Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

    That was a masterclass. Shevchenko outlanded Grasso 44-18 in significant strikes, was 8-for-12 on takedowns and had 14:49 of ground control time. After a surprise loss and a controversial draw, Shevchenko gets it done against Grasso.

  • We're going to the cards, where Valentina Shevchenko will be announced as the new UFC women's flyweight champion. Grasso entered the fight with the crowd on her side and Shevchenko proceeded to squeeze the life out of any hope she had, with a few scares here and there.

  • Fourth round ends and Shevchenko probably took that one too. She's five minutes from regaining her belt.

  • Grasso needed a finish and she nearly got it. She had Shevchenko in a guillotine for a good minute, but Shevchenko didn't seem too bothered and eventually slipped out.

  • That was Shevchenko's best round yet. It's looking like Grasso is going to need a finish in the championship rounds to retain her belt.

  • More of the same in the second. Shevchenko is 3-for-3 on takedown attempts and has taken very little punishment, but Grasso scared her a couple times with arm bars. Shevchenko is likely up 20-18, but Grasso is still having her moments on her back.

  • Interesting first round. Shevchenko was the aggressor early and got Grasso with a beautiful takedown, but she didn't do much with it despite being in control for multiple minutes. Grasso was also close to a surprise armbar at one point, too. Still, give that one to Shevchenko.

  • Ben Fowlkes

    Who they are: Grasso is the women’s flyweight champion. Shevchenko is the woman she beat to claim the title in the first place. That was a surprising upset all on its own. Then they fought again and ended in a draw. Now, for the first time since 2016, Shevchenko heads into a UFC fight as a betting underdog.

    Why it matters: That shiny gold belt, for one thing. But also this is the trilogy fight where Grasso can finally put to rest any suggestion that she might have just gotten lucky once and doesn’t really deserve to be called a champion. For Shevchenko, it’s a chance to show her time at the top isn’t done just yet. Or is it?

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    RESULT: Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

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    Fight ends with Lopes likely heading toward a decision win

    Ortega survived the early knockdown and getting viciously mauled in the third. Lopes had his number throughout the fight,

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Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 - Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada

Main card (Start time 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV)

Prelims (Start time 8 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS/ESPN+)

Early Prelims (Start time 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)