The Sphere in Las Vegas has now officially scheduled two title fights for this fall.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the full fight schedule for UFC 306 on September 14, which will culminate in a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko will fight for the third time in the co-main event. UFC 306 will be the first combat sport event to be held 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, excluding a no contest 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.
The co-main event, featuring Grasso defending her women’s flyweight title against former champion Shevchenko, will mark 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.
UFC 306 Card
Below is a rundown of the fights scheduled so far for UFC 306.
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Raul Rosas Jr. against Aori Qileng
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Yazmin Jáuregui vs Celten Souza
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Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez
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Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
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Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
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Ode Osbourne to Ronaldo RodrÃguez
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Esteban Ribovics vs Daniel Zelluber
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Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopez
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Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
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Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili