The most anticipated bout at UFC 306 in Las Vegas, held at the Sphere, finally came to a conclusion, with Merab Dvalishvili securing a victory over Sean O’Malley in the Bantamweight Championship main event. The fight was called by unanimous decision (49-47, 48-47, 48-47), with Dvalishvili showing a significant strikes advantage. O’Malley entered the fight with just one loss and 18 wins, while Dvalishvili had four losses and 17 wins.
In the first round, both fighters were sizing each other up. Notably, O’Malley’s corner attempted to distract Dvalishvili, which the referee quickly warned them to stop. O’Malley landed the first dangerous blow, causing Dvalishvili’s nose to bleed. In the final seconds of the first round, Dvalishvili attempted a submission but failed, though he still won the round 10-9.
The second round saw Dvalishvili dominate, keeping O’Malley on the ground for most of the round. It ended with Dvalishvili landing some ‘kisses’ on O’Malley’s back, causing a bit of confusion. The third round was more of the same, with Dvalishvili outstriking O’Malley.
In the fourth round, Dvalishvili focused on taking O’Malley to the ground again, which he succeeded in doing, but was unable to finish the fight. In the fifth round, O’Malley spent the first two minutes trying to land significant strikes in the center of the octagon. However, his efforts were in vain as he ultimately lost the fight.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 14: (L-R) Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia fights Sean O’Malley of the United States for the bantamweight title during UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Post-Victory Press Conference
Dvalishvili admitted that the initial emotions after defeating O’Malley were overwhelming and uncontrollable. In his first statement after winning the Bantamweight Championship, he expressed feeling great about his victory. He noted that it wasn’t his first time defeating a champion and described the fight against O’Malley as a ‘normal day’ for him.
Regarding the kiss on O’Malley’s neck, Dvalishvili explained that with only 10 seconds left, he simply wanted to make fun of O’Malley with the kisses on his back. He emphasized that his intention was not to provoke but to have fun and demonstrate his dominance and control over the situation.
Other Results from UFC 306
Another significant loss involved champion Alexa Grasso, who was defeated by Valentina Shevchenko in one of the main card fights, resulting in the loss of the Women’s Flyweight title. These were the key results of the night.
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley (c) via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
- Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Diego Lopes def Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Igancio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via first-round knockout (punches)
- Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
