Two title fights will headline UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, as Sean O'Malley defends his bantamweight title against top contender Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexa Grasso puts her women's flyweight championship on the line in a trilogy fight against Valentina Shevchenko.
UFC president Dana White announced Friday night the 10-fight card, renamed UFC Night, for the promotion's most ambitious event to date.
According to White, this event at The Sphere will be unique and will become the most expensive production the UFC has ever organized. The UFC has also signed a title sponsor for the first time, as Riyadh Season is attached to the event.
O'Malley will be defending his title for the second time. After knocking out Aljamain Sterling to capture the championship last August, he avenged a loss to Marlon Vera with a unanimous decision win in March. A title defense against Dvalishvili, a winner of 10 straight fights, has long been rumored and will finally come to fruition in September. Dvalishvili is coming off a dominant decision win over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in February.
Grasso and Shevchenko will meet for the third consecutive time in the co-main event. Grasso stunned Shevchenko with a fourth-round submission to win the title in March 2023. The two met again last September, with the fight ending in a controversial split draw. Both were appointed as head coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter” series, with the expectation that they would face each other after the conclusion of the season.
Also included on the card is a featherweight clash between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega. The two were set to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega fell ill on the day of the fight and was replaced by Dan Ige. Lopes would go on to win and focus on UFC Night for his next fight. The UFC agreed and rescheduled what will likely be a featherweight eliminator bout.
The 10-fight card will take place over Mexican Independence Day weekend, just minutes before the recently announced boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena.
