Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili are set to headline the one-of-a-kind UFC 306 event. This bantamweight championship bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, with UFC CEO Dana White promising Noche UFC will be a “love letter to the Mexican people” in celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is going for the second defense of his 135-pound title after knocking out then-champion Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 before avenging a previous loss to Marlon Vera for his first defense. O’Malley will enter UFC 306 on an overall six-fight winning streak, with four finishes in that run.
Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) hasn’t taken any shortcuts on his way to his first title shot, having won 10 fights in a row. Included in his impressive run are victories over Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and most recently former double-champion Henry Cejudo. Dvalishvili hasn’t tasted defeat since his second UFC appearance in April 2018.
