Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili

Colorful champion Sean O’Malley takes on streaking top contender Merab Dvalishvili in a highly anticipated battle for the UFC bantamweight title in Saturday’s UFC 306 finale.

After claiming the title last August with a second-round stoppage win over Aljamain Sterling, O’Malley avenged the lone loss of his career in his first successful title defense, picking apart Marlon “Chito” Vera over five rounds to advance to 18-1 with one no contest for his career. The 29-year-old is one of the most talented strikers in the UFC today, combining incredible quickness and fundamentals with a keen sense of timing, exceptional footwork, and uncanny finishing abilities.

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It’s crazy to think that Dvalishvili began his UFC tenure with consecutive losses, followed by competitive bouts with the likes of Terrion Ware and Brad Katona, as over the last three years, he’s run his winning streak to 10 by turning in dominant showings against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. “The Machine” is an absolute menace in the grappling and conditioning departments, using each to exhaust and break opponents while showing continual improvements in the striking realm each time out.

These two have been circling each other since O’Malley was set to face Sterling, who remains one of Dvalishvili’s closest friends and training partners. While there are personal tensions and a budding rivalry between them, this is also an intoxicating stylistic clash where one can conceive a clear path to victory for each man while also envisioning a scenario where this turns into a breathtaking battle of wills.

No matter how this shakes out, Saturday’s main event is going to be a benchmark moment in the division, and set the tone for how things will shape up in the ultra-competitive 135-pound ranks going forward.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko

Originally paired together as a short-notice add-on at UFC 303, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will now face-off this weekend with the benefit of a full camp behind them.

FREE FIGHT: Diego Lopes vs Dan Ige

Ortega finally returned to action earlier this year after a lengthy layoff following a shoulder injury. He avenged his injury loss to Yair Rodriguez, submitting the former interim champion in the third round of their clash in Mexico City, but was unable to make it to the Octagon against Lopes at the end of June after dealing with an illness in the 36 hours prior to their planned entanglement.

Lopes stayed on the card and posted a unanimous decision win over four-hour replacement (and certified gangster) Dan Ige, extending his winning streak to four in the process. The leader of the Brazilian Warriors squad and Lobo Gym fixture has been an electric addition to the division from the outset of his time on the roster last May, and can vault himself into title contention with a fifth straight win on Saturday.

Will Ortega continue to thrive against non-champions or can Lopes keep marching forward towards a title opportunity?

Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics

Flyweights Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne kick off Saturday’s pay-per-view main card at The Sphere.

Rodriguez competed on Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, losing to Jerome Rivera, but hasn’t lost since. Five straight wins under the Lux Fight League banner earned him a call to the Octagon, and in February, “Lazy Boy” pushed his winning streak to six by collecting a second-round submission win over Denys Bondar in his promotional debut.

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Now in his fifth year on the UFC roster, Osbourne has gone 4-5 thus far inside the Octagon, and enters Saturday’s contest looking to halt a two-fight skid. The Las Vegas-based veteran has delivered strong moments in the past, like his win over Rivera and edging out Charles Johnson, but consistency has been an issue for the 32-year-old.

This is a classic “prospect versus veteran” pairing and it comes at the right juncture for Rodriguez, who, at 25, can either catapult himself closer to the rankings with a win or still have plenty of time to steady himself and rebuild should Osbourne get the better of things on Saturday night.

Preliminary Card Pairings

Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont

All-action fighters and DWCS alums Manuel Torres and Ignacio Bahamondes face off in what should be an explosive lightweight clash on this weekend’s prelims.

The 29-year-old Torres has won six straight overall by first-round stoppage, including each of his first three appearances inside the Octagon, having most recently needing less than two minutes to submit Chris Duncan. After having his modest three-fight winning streak snapped last August, Bahamondes got back in the win column in his first start of 2024, felling Christos Giagos in the first round of their early April pairing at the UFC APEX.

Yazmin Jauregui vs Ketlen Souza

Mexican veteran Edgar Chairez and Joshua Van clash in what is sure to be an entertaining flyweight fixture early in the evening at Noche UFC.

Chairez earned top marks for his game effort in defeat against Tatsuro Taira on short notice last year before finally putting his series with Daniel Lacerda to rest earlier this year with a first-round submission win. Van has been impressive in his UFC run thus far, winning his first three before a July loss to Charles Johnson.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Aoriqileng

Bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. takes a step up in competition in Saturday’s opener, facing off with Chinese veteran Aoriqileng.

After bouncing back from his first career setback with a quick win at Noche UFC last year, Rosas Jr. collected a second straight victory earlier this year with a slick submission win over recent TUF winner Ricky Turcios. Aoriqileng has gone 3-1 with one no contest in five starts in the UFC bantamweight division, and will look to lean on his significant experience advantage this weekend.