The Sphere in Las Vegas has now officially scheduled a title fight for this fall.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the full card for UFC 306 in September, headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. The event will mark the first bout at the new venue just off the Las Vegas Strip.
O’Malley first claimed the bantamweight title with a TKO victory over Aljamain Sterling last fall. He also successfully defended that title with a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera in March. The 29-year-old enters his fight against Dvalishvili with an 18-1 record with 12 KOs. He has also won six straight fights since 2021, with the exception of a no contest finish against Pedro Munhoz.
Dvalishvili, on the other hand, has been leaning toward a title fight for a while now. He’s been on an incredible 10-fight winning streak since 2018, most recently defeating Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision at UFC 298 earlier this year. The 33-year-old holds a 17-4 record with three career KOs.
UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko will square off in the co-main event. It will be the third straight fight between the two. Grasso defeated Shevchenko to first claim the flyweight title in March 2023 via fourth-round submission, then defended that belt in a rematch that ended in a draw last fall. Grasso enters with a record of 16-3-1. Shevchenko, who held the belt for years before her first loss to Grasso, has a record of 23-4-1 with eight KOs.
This post will be updated with more information soon.
