Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC at The Sphere | Preview & Prediction
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The main event at UFC 306 sees champion Sean O’Malley defend his bantamweight title against challenger Merab Dvalishvili
SEAN O’MALLEY VS MERAB DVALISHVILI FACTS
When is UFC 306? UK – the early preliminary card starts at 12:30am on Sunday 15th September 2024, followed by the preliminary card at 1:00am and then main card at 3:00am / USA – 7:30pm/8:00pm/10:00pm ET and 4:30pm/5:00pm/7:00pm PT (both Saturday 14th September)
Where is UFC 306? Sphere, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 306? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 306
What TV channel is UFC 306 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 306? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC 306 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
UFC 306 MAIN CARD EVENT
Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili (Bantamweight)
Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko (Women’s Flyweight)
Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes (Featherweight)
Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode’ Osbourne (Flyweight)
UFC 306 Prelims
Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont (Women’s Bantamweight)
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Manuel Torres (Lightweight)
Yazmin Jauregui vs Ketlen Souza (Women’s Strawweight)
Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van (Flyweight)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs Aori Qileng (Bantamweight)
SEAN O’MALLEY: TOUGH TEST FOR CHAMP AT UFC 306
Suga Sean O’Malley (18-1 with one no contest) was long considered to be one of those fighters that was built and hyped up by the UFC but was somewhat overrated. His resume and long winning streaks were boosted by some average opponents and that artificially inflated his record. The 29-year-old has developed into an outstanding fighter and had blown any of that talk out of the water with some outstanding performances in the last couple of years. His win over Petr Yan really made folks sit up and take notice of him as a legitimate contender, albeit in a somewhat controversial decision, and then his stunning TKO to win the belt from Aljamain Sterling capped it off. His last fight saw him avenge his only loss against Marion Vera and now he faces another tough test in Dvalishvili.
MERAB DVALISHVILI: NO SURPRISES AS TO HOW WRESTLER WILL APPROACH THIS TITLE SHOT
Merab Dvalishvili has earned this title shot after reeling off ten wins in succession. The Georgian (17-4) has won nine of those via the judges’ scorecards as he has largely wrestled his way to those wins. His wrestling is dominant to say the least and it’s been the key to wins over the likes of Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. One could argue that Dvalishvili has better names on his record than O’Malley but it is fair to say the likes of Aldo were past their best when they fought him. Nonetheless, the win over Yan, a mutual opponent to O’Malley, was particularly impressive.
SEAN O’MALLEY VS MERAB DVALISHVILI PREDICTION
The main event at UFC 306 promises to be an enthralling fight between two very differing styles. O’Malley is pretty well-rounded but it is his striking that has so often been the standout factor in his rise to the top of the UFC. There is no surprises when it comes to how Dvalishvili will approach his fights as he will go for takedown after takedown and look to control this fight on the ground.
O’Malley has elite punching power as he proved against Sterling and that is his only real route to victory here. Dvalishvili has been susceptible to striking as we saw when Marlon Moraes knocked him down and almost finished him in the first round of their fight at UFC 266. However, he responded by TKO’ing him in the second round and his heart and stamina are impressive.
If you’re betting on the main event, you can cover the two options by going O’Malley by KO/TKO win and Dvalishvili by decision. Our marginal preference is for Dvalishvili to stay clear of danger in the first couple of rounds and then control the fight for the rest of it. We just favour him winning via the scorecards.
PREDICTION: MERAB DVALISHVILI TO WIN VIA DECISION
