Dana White has promised that UFC 306 will deliver a spectacle like no other, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship looks to put on an unforgettable show at the spectacular Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14.
Earlier this year, White said on theThe Pat McAfee Show: “We’re going in there during Mexican Independence Day and I’m going to put on the greatest live event anybody’s ever seen, and it’s going to be this huge love letter to all of combat and combat sports throughout the history of Mexico.
“Some of the baddest dudes that have ever walked the face of this earth have been Mexican. On Mexican Independence Day, I’m going to deliver the craziest show anybody’s ever seen.”
This week, White announced the key fights that will form the bulk of the fight card in Las Vegas, with the UFC scheduling one of its biggest stars to defend his title in the main event, Mexico’s very own champion in the co-main event, and a supporting cast packed full of Mexican fighting talent.
‘The Suga Show’ will headline UFC 306
Undisputed UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley will put his 135-pound title on the line in the main event of Noche UFC, where he’ll take on the relentless wrestling of Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili.
It’s a classic striker-versus-grappler match up, and on paper it looks like the toughest assignment of O’Malley’s career.
“The Suga Show” has blasted his way to the top using his slick, sharp boxing skills, and his knockout of Aljamain Sterling to capture the title saw the changing of the guard in the 135-pound division.
O’Malley knows how to put on a show, and he’ll look to do just that against Dvalishvili, whose hard-nosed, grinding, relentless wrestling style contrasts with his comedic, fan-friendly personality away from the cage.
The build-up to this one should be a lot of fun. As for the fight itself, it’ll go one of two ways. Either O’Malley finds his range, hurts Dvalishvili, then finishes him, or Merab will dominate and overwhelm O’Malley with his takedowns and top control for five long, hard rounds.
Grasso and Shevchenko will settle the score
In the co-main event of UFC 306, Mexico’s own UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso will look to bring a close to her ongoing rivalry with former champ Valentina Shevchenko.
Shevchenko dominated the women’s 125-pound division, and it looked like there wasn’t a soul in the division capable of dethroning her. But Grasso had other ideas, and in a performance of a lifetime, she delivered a stellar display to out strike Shevchenko before eventually finishing her with a face crank submission in the fourth round of their title fight at UFC 285.
It saw Grasso capture the flyweight title, as well as Submission of the Year honours, but an immediate rematch looked, and the pair faced off again six months later at the first-ever Noche UFC event last September.
This time, the finish was far from decisive, as the pair battled all the way to the scorecards. One judge scored it 48-47 Grasso, another saw it 48-47 Shevchenko. But when the third judge couldn’t split them and turned in a 47-47 scorecard, everybody was left frustrated. Grasso retained her title by the slimmest of margins, but the rivalry remained very much on.
Now the pair are set to throw down in a trilogy bout to settle the score once and for all. Will Grasso prevail again, or will “Bullet” Shevchenko reclaim her spot on the flyweight throne? It should deliver another classic.
And that’s not all…
The featured main card match up spot will see a cracker of a featherweight fight, as former title challenger Brian Ortega takes on rising star Diego Lopes, and there’s a host of Mexican talent set for action on the bout sheet, too, including teenage star Raul Rosas Jr., who takes on Chinese fighter Aoriqileng, who goes by the formidable name of “The Mongolian Murderer.”
It’s all set to deliver a high-energy show in a spectacular setting, with White vowing to put on an event for the ages at the state-of-the-art Sphere on September 14.
“What we’re going to pull off there, will never be done again,” White declared.
“Nobody’s going to be willing to spend the money that I’m going to spend. I’m not playing around with this. I’m going in guns blazing and I’m going to blow everybody’s mind with this event.”
It’s fair to say this one’s going to be worth a watch!
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