If fans were worried that UFC 306 was getting too overhyped by Dana White and Co., they were left in awe by the spectacle that the event became at The Sphere. The new arena played host to an incredible night of action in and out of the Octagon and the Sphere came to life with many visual stories about the history of Mexico as a fighting nation.
Inside the Octagon, two new champions were crowned as Merab Dvalishvili soundly defeated Sean O'Malley to take the bantamweight title while Valentina Shevchenko did the same to Alexa Grasso to reclaim the women's flyweight title.
Dvalishvili gave O'Malley fits with his grappling and consistently took the champion down with control. Shevchenko employed a similar gameplan in keeping Grasso on the mat and avoiding submission attempts from the champ. Now, both embark on new journeys with plenty of challengers waiting in the wings.
Elsewhere on the card, Diego Lopes battered Brian Ortega and left him a bloody mess by the end of three rounds to move up the featherweight rankings. Lopes and Ortega were scheduled to fight at UFC 303 before Ortega fell ill on fight night and was forced to withdraw. Lopes picked up his third win of the year and moved himself closer to a title shot. Plus, Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber delivered an epic battle that may become a Fight of the Year contender as both men laid it all on the line in scoring multiple knockdowns -- including a dramatic third round where both men were nearly stopped.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 306 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 306 fight card, results
- Sean O'Malley (c) -145 vs. Merab Dvalishvili +125, bantamweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Diego Lopes def Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Igancio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via first-round knockout (punches)
- Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 306 countdown
- Brookhouse: Best bets to consider on the main card
- Mahjouri: Undercard fights to watch beyond O'Malley-Dvalishvili, Grasso-Shevchenko
- De La Hoya plans to attend UFC 306 instead of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga
- Campbell: Five biggest storylines to watch this weekend
- Mahjouri: An inside look at how the Sphere will operate on fight night