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Noche UFC
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili
Breaking Down The Pairings For Saturday’s Historic Riyadh Season Noche UFC
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
Last September, Noche UFC was an organic blockbuster — a celebration of Mexican and Latin American culture and competitors at T-Mobile Arena that carried a pay-per-view feel from the opening bout through the captivating championship main event.
This year, the UFC is upping the ante, bringing Noche UFC to Sphere in Las Vegas as a pay-per-view venture headlined by a pair of transfixing title bouts and supported by eight additional matchups that will turn this weekend’s one-of-a-kind event into a must-see spectacle from the outset.
Featuring the championship trilogy bout between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, and headlined by “Suga” Sean O’Malley putting the bantamweight title on the line against No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili, Saturday’s 10-fight event promises to be exhilarating every step of the way.
So let’s dive into the matchups that make up this weekend’s fight card.
UFC Bantamweight Championship Main Event: Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili
Colorful champion Sean O’Malley takes on streaking top contender Merab Dvalishvili in a highly anticipated battle for the UFC bantamweight title in Saturday’s UFC 306 finale.
After claiming the title last August with a second-round stoppage win over Aljamain Sterling, O’Malley avenged the lone loss of his career in his first successful title defense, picking apart Marlon “Chito” Vera over five rounds to advance to 18-1 with one no contest for his career. The 29-year-old is one of the most talented strikers in the UFC today, combining incredible quickness and fundamentals with a keen sense of timing, exceptional footwork, and uncanny finishing abilities.
It’s crazy to think that Dvalishvili began his UFC tenure with consecutive losses, followed by competitive bouts with the likes of Terrion Ware and Brad Katona, as over the last three years, he’s run his winning streak to 10 by turning in dominant showings against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. “The Machine” is an absolute menace in the grappling and conditioning departments, using each to exhaust and break opponents while showing continual improvements in the striking realm each time out.
These two have been circling each other since O’Malley was set to face Sterling, who remains one of Dvalishvili’s closest friends and training partners. While there are personal tensions and a budding rivalry between them, this is also an intoxicating stylistic clash where one can conceive a clear path to victory for each man while also envisioning a scenario where this turns into a breathtaking battle of wills.
No matter how this shakes out, Saturday’s main event is going to be a benchmark moment in the division, and set the tone for how things will shape up in the ultra-competitive 135-pound ranks going forward.
UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko meet for a third time, with the women’s flyweight title once again hanging in the balance.
Each of the first two meetings between these two standout talents has been tense and competitive, with Grasso pulling off the upset to claim the title in the first meeting last March before a debated scorecard resulted in the rematch at Noche UFC last September ending in a draw. Both champion and challenger had their moments in each of the first two encounters, with Shevchenko ahead going into the championship rounds in each contest before Grasso rallied, first for the finish and then to earn a draw.
While they were exceptionally collaborative and focused on being quality coaches during their time on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s impossible for there not to be simmering tension between these two as the series to date has been riddled with questions and points of debate.
This third meeting is an opportunity for both Grasso and Shevchenko to definitively stamp themselves as the dominant competitor and undisputed champion, with the future direction of the division tethered to the outcome. Should Grasso win, 2025 could be the first year since 2018 where Shevchenko is not involved in a title fight, while if “Bullet”emerges victorious, the series would be level at 1-1-1, with a fourth fight lingering as a possibility.
But before getting to what happens after, we have to get through the fight itself, and just like the first two instalments, this one should be riveting, as well.
Other Pay-Per-View Main Card Matchups
Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes
Originally paired together as a short-notice add-on at UFC 303, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will now face-off this weekend with the benefit of a full camp behind them.
Ortega finally returned to action earlier this year after a lengthy layoff following a shoulder injury. He avenged his injury loss to Yair Rodriguez, submitting the former interim champion in the third round of their clash in Mexico City, but was unable to make it to the Octagon against Lopes at the end of June after dealing with an illness in the 36 hours prior to their planned entanglement.
Lopes stayed on the card and posted a unanimous decision win over four-hour replacement (and certified gangster) Dan Ige, extending his winning streak to four in the process. The leader of the Brazilian Warriors squad and Lobo Gym fixture has been an electric addition to the division from the outset of his time on the roster last May, and can vault himself into title contention with a fifth straight win on Saturday.
Will Ortega continue to thrive against non-champions or can Lopes keep marching forward towards a title opportunity?
Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics
Exciting lightweights Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics look to introduce themselves to a larger audience by taking advantage of their main card placement this weekend in Las Vegas.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21, Zellhuber has earned three straight victories since dropping his promotional debut, moving to 15-1 in the process. After securing a second-round submission win over Christos Giagos at Noche UFC last year, “The Golden Boy” shared Fight of the Night honors with Francisco Prado in Mexico City back in February while claiming a unanimous decision win.
Ribovics has followed a similar path as Zellhuber, matriculating to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series and losing his debut before beginning to find his footing as of late. He claimed his first victory inside the Octagon last summer at UFC 290, out-working Kamuela Kirk, and then blasted Terrance McKinney in just 37 seconds to collect his first finish with the promotion back in May.
Each man has shown flashes of genuine promise and upside through their early forays into the Octagon, and Saturday’s contest feels like a perfectly timed clash to see which one is ready to take another step forward. If you’re looking for a low-key Fight of the Night contender, this is your contest.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode’ Osbourne
Flyweights Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne kick off Saturday’s pay-per-view main card at The Sphere.
Rodriguez competed on Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, losing to Jerome Rivera, but hasn’t lost since. Five straight wins under the Lux Fight League banner earned him a call to the Octagon, and in February, “Lazy Boy” pushed his winning streak to six by collecting a second-round submission win over Denys Bondar in his promotional debut.
Now in his fifth year on the UFC roster, Osbourne has gone 4-5 thus far inside the Octagon, and enters Saturday’s contest looking to halt a two-fight skid. The Las Vegas-based veteran has delivered strong moments in the past, like his win over Rivera and edging out Charles Johnson, but consistency has been an issue for the 32-year-old.
This is a classic “prospect versus veteran” pairing and it comes at the right juncture for Rodriguez, who, at 25, can either catapult himself closer to the rankings with a win or still have plenty of time to steady himself and rebuild should Osbourne get the better of things on Saturday night.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont
The preliminary card slate wraps in the women’s bantamweight division, with former title challenger Irene Aldana squaring off with streaking Brazilian Norma Dumont.
Aldana froze in her championship bout opposite Amanda Nunes at UFC 289, but rallied to collect a hard-fought win over Karol Rosa to close out her 2023 campaign last December. Dumont has won four straight and seven-of-eight since dropping her promotional debut towards the start of 2020, most recently out-working former featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie in her April return to the 135-pound weight class.
Manuel Torres vs Ignacio Bahamondes
All-action fighters and DWCS alums Manuel Torres and Ignacio Bahamondes face off in what should be an explosive lightweight clash on this weekend’s prelims.
The 29-year-old Torres has won six straight overall by first-round stoppage, including each of his first three appearances inside the Octagon, having most recently needing less than two minutes to submit Chris Duncan. After having his modest three-fight winning streak snapped last August, Bahamondes got back in the win column in his first start of 2024, felling Christos Giagos in the first round of their early April pairing at the UFC APEX.
Yazmin Jauregui vs Ketlen Souza
Strawweight prospects looking to build on successes earlier this year meet on Saturday as Yazmin Jauregui takes on Ketlen Souza.
Jauregui suffered the first loss of her career last summer at UFC 290, losing to Denise Gomes in 20 seconds, but bounced back with a hard-fought decision win over Sam Hughes in February in Mexico City. Souza returned from injury and dropped down a division in April, collecting a unanimous decision win over DWCS alum Marnic Mann to get things moving in the right direction again.
Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van
Mexican veteran Edgar Chairez and Joshua Van clash in what is sure to be an entertaining flyweight fixture early in the evening at Noche UFC.
Chairez earned top marks for his game effort in defeat against Tatsuro Taira on short notice last year before finally putting his series with Daniel Lacerda to rest earlier this year with a first-round submission win. Van has been impressive in his UFC run thus far, winning his first three before a July loss to Charles Johnson.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs Aoriqileng
Bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. takes a step up in competition in Saturday’s opener, facing off with Chinese veteran Aoriqileng.
After bouncing back from his first career setback with a quick win at Noche UFC last year, Rosas Jr. collected a second straight victory earlier this year with a slick submission win over recent TUF winner Ricky Turcios. Aoriqileng has gone 3-1 with one no contest in five starts in the UFC bantamweight division, and will look to lean on his significant experience advantage this weekend.
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