The Sphere in Las Vegas hosted UFC 306 Saturday night, and two new champions were crowned.
Merab Dvalishvili dethroned bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in the main event, while the co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko regain her flyweight belt with a decision win over Alexa Grasso.
The card also featured fan favorites Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega, with Lopes securing the victory and vaulting himself into the featherweight title conversation.
Altogether, the Mexican Independence themed card was underwhelming. Only two of eight Mexican fighters were victorious, and eight of the ten fights went to a decision. The Sphere itself was the star of the show. It was a cinematic masterpiece that UFC president Dana White insists will not be duplicated.
Here are some of the biggest winners and losers from the historic night:
Winners
Merab Dvalishvili
The 33-year-old Georgian implemented his gameplan to perfection against Sean O’Malley, winning the bantamweight title by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in a fight that was never competitive. He landed six takedowns and logged ten minutes of control time. O’Malley, who landed 230 significant strikes against Marlon Vera in his first title defense, only connected 47 times against Dvalishvili. A couple of them were free, too, as Dvalishvili accidentally headed back to his corner with five seconds remaining in the second round.
Since dropping his first two UFC bouts, Dvalishvili has won 11 consecutive fights, all but one coming by decision. His performances certainly aren’t eye candy, but he overwhelms opponents with persistent wrestling and otherworldly cardio. Dvalishvili will likely defend his belt against undefeated Russian star Umar Nurmagomedov.
Valentina Shevchenko
Like Dvalishvili, Shevchenko willed herself to a unanimous decision victory (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) by outwrestling Alexa Grasso, evening the rivalry at 1-1-1. She landed eight takedowns and compiled a whopping 16 minutes of control time. Grasso threatened submissions from her back throughout the fight, but Shevchenko remained patient and stayed out of harm’s way. She nullified Grasso’s boxing advantage, only allowing her to land 18 significant strikes over 25 minutes.
Despite the rivalry being deadlocked, the UFC may decide against booking a fourth fight between Shevchenko and Grasso, especially since this fight was one-sided. After all, neither woman has faced anyone but the other since 2022. French sensation Manon Fiorot is undefeated in the UFC octagon and successfully weighed in as the backup fighter this fight, so the organization may give her the next crack at Shevchenko’s flyweight belt.
Esteban Ribovics
Ribovics squeaked out a split decision victory (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in a brawl with Daniel Zellhuber that was dubbed “Fight of the Night.” Zellhuber’s length was problematic for Ribovics in the first and second rounds, with the “Golden Boy” landing a knockdown and out landing him. However, Ribovics landed a massive right hand in the third round that swung the momentum in his favor. Zellhuber survived, but Ribovics landed 92 significant strikes in the third round, ultimately winning him the fight.
It’s worth another watch:
Losers
Sean O’Malley
Just about every media member and celebrity picked O’Malley to successfully defend his belt against Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the second round to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292 and has shown off his striking prowess in every one of his octagon appearances. He was taken out of his element by Dvalishvili, though, as the Georgian’s cardio and wrestling proved to be too much to overcome.
Dvalishvili never threatened to finish the fight on the feet or on the ground, but it seemed like O’Malley would’ve preferred to have been put out of his misery. He was visibly dejected in his corner after every round, and coach Tim Welch didn’t even try to encourage his fighter.
O’Malley will have to go back to the drawing board after this lopsided loss. A bout between the former champion and fourth-ranked Cory Sandhagen could be next, as the “Sandman” was vocal about the potential matchup on social media.
Irene Aldana
I’m putting this at the end of the article on purpose. Aldana suffered arguably the worst cut in UFC history in her unanimous decision loss to Norma Dumont. There’s not much more to say, so look away if you’re squeamish.
Thankfully, Aldana seems to be recovering well after the injury.
In the Shadows Sports 
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