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UFC 306

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UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili
The poster for UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateSeptember 14, 2024 (2024-09-14)
VenueSphere
CityParadise, Nevada, United States
Attendance16,024[1]
Total gate$21,829,245[1]
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili (branded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC for sponsorship reasons) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 14, 2024, at Sphere[2][3][4] in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States.[5][6][7]

Background

After hosting over 200 events in Las Vegas, this was the promotion's debut at the Sphere, which opened in September 2023.[6]

Event information

This event marked the promotion's second "Noche UFC" edition celebrating Mexican independence day after holding UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 the year prior.[8] It was also the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding it as "Riyadh Season Noche UFC", after a partnership with Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.[7]

The event told the history of combat in Mexico from the past to the future.[9] UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari discussed the six 90-second film clips about Mexico's contribution to combat sports playing between bouts on the main card and that they were produced by film director Carlos López Estrada.[10][11] Each bout took place in a different world with images on the LED screens inside the arena.[11] White said that the budget for the production of the one-time only event exceeded $20 million compared to the approximate $2 million that is used at regular pay-per-view events.[11] Also, all but one of the fights on the card (the main event) featured a Mexican-born or Mexican-American fighter.[12] In addition, eight ring girls of Mexican descent were brought in for this event.[13]

Bout information

A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlined the event.[14]

A UFC Women's Flyweight Championship trilogy bout between current champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko took place at the co-main event.[15] The pairing first met at UFC 285 in March 2023, where Grasso won the title by fourth round submission upset.[16] Their second meeting took place at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 in September 2023, which the bout ended by split draw.[17] The pairing previously coached on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko against each other.[18] Manon Fiorot served as backup and potential replacement for this fight.[19]

A featherweight bout between former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes took place at the event.[20] The pair was previously expected to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega withdrew just hours before the bout due to illness.[21]

A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira was scheduled for this event.[22] However, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Pereira vs. Hernandez to serve as the main event.[23]

A flyweight bout between Édgar Cháirez and Kevin Borjas was scheduled for this event.[24] However, Borjas withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Joshua Van.[25]

Results

Main card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley (c) Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) 5 5:00 [a]
Women's Flyweight Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) 5 5:00 [b]
Featherweight Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Lightweight Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00
Flyweight Ronaldo Rodríguez def. Ode' Osbourne Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–27) 3 5:00
Preliminary card (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Women's Bantamweight Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres TKO (punches) 1 4:02
Women's Strawweight Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) 1 3:02
Flyweight Joshua Van def. Édgar Cháirez Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bantamweight Raúl Rosas Jr. def. Aori Qileng Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00

[26]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[27]

  • Fight of the Night: Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Performance of the Night: Ignacio Bahamondes and Ketlen Souza

Records set

The event generated $21,829,245 in ticket receipts, which broke the record for the biggest gate in UFC history surpassing UFC 205 (which previously held the record with a gate of $17,700,000).[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Mike Bohn (2024-09-15). "UFC 306 post-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili's streak reaches historic status in title win vs. Sean O'Malley". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  2. ^ "About Sphere ("How can I buy tickets for events at Sphere?")". thesphere.com. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  3. ^ Maura Judkis (2024-09-18). "In Vegas, the only thing we have to Sphere is Sphere itself". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  4. ^ Mike G. Morreale (2024-09-18). "2024 NHL Draft to be held at Sphere in Las Vegas". nhl.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  5. ^ Nolan King (2023-12-20). "UFC officially announces early 2024 schedule: Dates, locations, and venues". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  6. ^ a b Nolan King (2024-02-25). "UFC 303, UFC 306 dates and locations announced". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  7. ^ a b Staff (2024-06-27). "UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas rebranded as 'Riyadh Season Noche UFC'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  8. ^ Christopher De Santiago (2024-02-22). "UFC CEO Dana White vows to deliver with 'one-off' 2024 UFC event". si.com. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  9. ^ Harry Kettle (2024-08-15). "Dana White reveals new details for UFC's huge debut event at the Sphere". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ Ryan Harkness (2024-09-05). "'Films, worlds, and acts' — What Noche UFC at the Sphere will look like". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  11. ^ a b c Damon Martin (2024-09-05). "UFC 306 production includes 6 short films between fights, each bout taking place in a different 'world'". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  12. ^ Jeff Wagenheim (2024-09-09). "UFC 306 storylines: How Sphere, Suga Sean will shape a historic event". espn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  13. ^ Zaid Quraishi (2024-09-11). "UFC 306 Octagon Girls: Major Update On New Cage Women Getting Featured On Dana White's Noche Event In Las Vegas Sphere". msn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  14. ^ Nolan King (2024-07-26). "Noche UFC at Sphere gets Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title-fight headliner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  15. ^ Nolan King (2024-07-26). "Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 to co-headline Noche UFC at Sphere". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  16. ^ Simon Samano (2023-03-05). "UFC 285 results: Alexa Grasso makes Valentina Shevchenko tap out, wins flyweight title in huge upset". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  17. ^ Jay Anderson (2023-09-17). "Noche UFC: Nail-biter Sees Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko ruled a draw". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  18. ^ Jay Pettry (2023-12-07). "Season 32 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' set for June with featherweights, middleweights". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  19. ^ Simon Samano (2024-08-15). "Manon Fiorot tabbed as Alexa Grasso-Valentina Shevchenko trilogy backup at UFC 306, coach says". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  20. ^ Nolan King (2024-07-26). "Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes rebooked for Noche UFC at Sphere". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  21. ^ Nolan King (2024-06-29). "Dan Ige replaces Brian Ortega in shocking 11th-hour UFC 303 co-main event change vs. Diego Lopes". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  22. ^ Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun (2024-07-02). "Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez booked for Noche UFC at The Sphere". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  23. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2024-07-26). "Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez moved from UFC 306 to Fight Night main event in October". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  24. ^ Matthew Wells and Danny Segura (2024-07-03). "Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez added to Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  25. ^ Nolan King (2024-09-03). "Joshua Van steps into UFC 306 vs. Edgar Chairez after Kevin Borjas withdraws". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  26. ^ "Riyadh Season Noche UFC: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  27. ^ Chris Taylor (2024-09-14). "UFC 306 Bonus Report: Ignacio Bahamondes one of four fighters to take home an extra $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  28. ^ Nolan King (2024-09-17). "10 highest UFC event gates in promotion history". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.