Merab Dvalishvili dominated Sean O’Malley to capture the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
In their long-awaited title fight, Dvalishvili’s suffocating grip took control and kept the now-former champion O’Malley in suspense for most of the 25-minute encounter.
Dvalishvili’s blistering pace and cardio, combined with his disciplined game plan, earned him 49-47, 48-47 and 48-47 scores and the unanimous decision.
The win leaves the newly crowned champion with an 18-4 career MMA record. O’Malley, on the other hand, suffered his second loss and is now 18-2.
Suga Sean came into the fight after avenging his only loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in March.
Merab Dvalishvili dethroned Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 306
O’Malley was unable to impose his striking and his rival kept him on the canvas for five rounds.
O’Malley rattled off 12 straight wins as a pro before running into Vera in 2020. From there, the Montana native went undefeated for six fights. O’Malley dethroned Dvalishvili’s training partner, Aljamain Sterling, from the bantamweight reign in August 2023 before correcting his only career blemish in March.
On the other hand, Dvalishvili was coming off wins over Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. The Georgian fighter came into Saturday’s match on a ten-fight winning streak.
UFC 306 was also named ‘UFC Night’ in honor of Mexican Independence Day.
The card featured seven fighters of Mexican descent, led by Alexa Grasso, who was dominated by Valentina Shevchenko to close out the first women’s trilogy in UFC history.
For five rounds, The Bullet dominated and kept Grasso on his back to regain his title by unanimous decision.
Valentina Shevchenko dominated Alexa Grasso to win by decision and regain her title
Diego Lopes extended his streak to five fights with a win over No. 3 ranked featherweight Brian Ortega
Prior to Saturday, Grasso dethroned Shevchenko via submission in March 2023. The pair met again at the inaugural UFC Night and ended in a controversial draw.
In a standout fight, rising featherweight Diego Lopes extended his winning streak to five fights with a unanimous decision over No. 3 Brian Ortega.
The win left the Brazilian with a 26-6 record and in serious contention for the 145-pound title. On the other hand, T City fell to 16-4 with the loss.
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