At first glance, the UFC's approach to celebrating Mexican Independence Day next weekend seems baffling.
UFC 306, which takes place Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas, is headlined by a fight between an Irish-American from Montana and a New Yorker who came over from the Republic of Georgia. And to add a touch of strangeness to the fight-everywhere theme, the event is sponsored by an arm of the Saudi Arabian government.
Brands and big names aside, though, there will be a Mexican theme that will permeate the second annual UFC Night (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET). Before the main event between men’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, the night’s other nine fights will each feature a Mexican-born or Mexican-American fighter. The co-main event will pit women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, of Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco, against former champion Valentina Shevchenko, to complete a trilogy that’s already full of twists and turns.
Beyond the competitive betting, the overall atmosphere of the evening promises to transport fans visually and aurally south of the border. This first-ever sporting event at Sphere, the state-of-the-art entertainment center that opened last year just off the Las Vegas Strip, will take full advantage of the mind-blowing technology built into the giant round structure. Throughout the evening, the UFC will utilize the 160,000-square-foot wraparound LED screen and concert-quality sound system to tell the story of combat sports in Mexico.
“This is basically a love letter to the Mexican people and their culture,” CEO Dana White said earlier this week on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Championship fights. Stunning production. High stakes. There will be storylines revolving around the spherical wonder of UFC 306. Here are a few to keep an eye on.
1. Is the real star of the show the stage itself?
Title fights are great, but a night of fisticuffs at Sphere is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You can take that literally, if White has anything to say about it, which he already has. “It's going to be a one-time thing,” the UFC president told reporters in the spring, “just because I wanted to do it.”
What will Saturday's show, where there are no second chances, be like? Judging by the psychedelic concert footage visitors have been treated to so far at the $2.3 billion venue, Sphere offers performers and other presenters a blank canvas with seemingly endless possibilities for an immersive multimedia experience. The UFC isn't known for subtlety, so expect something big and bold and, hopefully, not too over-the-top.
The fight promotion is keeping specific details under wraps, but in an interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee, White said, “We're going to be telling the story of the fight in Mexico for the rest of the night, from the beginning of time and into the future.”
2. Can 'Suga Sean' hold his own? (He better.)
Men's Bantamweight Championship: Sean O'Malley (c) vs. Merab Dvalishvili
O'Malley has a dozen knockouts among his 18 career wins, and he would be wise to position himself early on Saturday to get another. Otherwise, the champion will have to stay on his feet and keep his rival at bay. But that's easier said than done. Dvalishvili is known as “The Machine” and his fuel is relentless wrestling.
In 12 UFC fights, Dvalishvili has 79 takedowns, the most among active fighters and 11 behind all-time leader Georges St-Pierre. The record will be within reach on Saturday. Dvalishvili has reached double figures four times in a bout, including in his only previous five-round fight, against former champion Petr Yan last year, when he landed 11 takedowns in a staggering 49 attempts. Yan, by the way, had fought O’Malley a few months earlier and landed six takedowns on him.
Will O'Malley's kicks, knees and right hands make Dvalishvili think twice about trying to take him down again and again? Just thinking about it is exhausting.
3. Is the co-main event a remake of 'Groundhog Day'?
Women's Flyweight Championship: Alexa Grasso (c) vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Grasso vs. Shevchenko. Shevchenko vs. Grasso. And so on.
For more than two years, this matchup has embodied the entire 125-pound title picture, with nary a photobomber in sight. The last time a championship fight in this division didn’t pit these two against each other was June 2022, when Taila Santos lost to Shevchenko via split decision. Since then, all 11 UFC titles have changed hands. And Santos isn’t even in the UFC anymore; she’ll be going for a PFL season championship in November.
The point is, Grasso and Shevchenko still have business to settle. Grasso ended Shevchenko’s seemingly untouchable reign (seven title defenses in just over four years) with a stunning upset in March 2023. Shevchenko was in charge of that fight until Grasso countered a fourth-round spinning kick by regaining control and, in a flash, sinking the final choke. Then, in last September’s rematch, Grasso retained the title by the narrowest of margins, a split draw. It was a strange result, but fitting after a fight that some were certain Shevchenko had won, while others saw it going in Grasso’s favor and still others felt strongly that it was rightly ruled a draw.
It's time to sort this out and move on.
4. Performing double duty on the ground
1:10
Dan Ige and Diego Lopes fight to decision in a co-main event on short notice
Dan Ige and Diego Lopes will fight all three rounds in the co-main event of UFC 303.
Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
When this main event is over, Lopes won't be off that night. The next matchup will feature her training partner Alexa Grasso, who is also her jiu-jitsu student. That makes Lopes the guy who instilled in Grasso the comeback that made her the champion last year.
For Lopes to reach that same peak, he needs to face former title challenger Ortega. Lopes' mastery on the mat will be put to the test in this fight. Ortega has the skills to turn Lopes the master into Lopes the defeated student.
5. There is a lot at stake… and in the air
Women's Bantamweight: Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
Dumont has won seven of her last eight fights. Aldana’s only losses since 2018 have come against champions: current champion Raquel Pennington and former champions Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. This could very well be a fight for the number one contender.
Or not. Kayla Harrison, the UFC’s latest star, will fight Ketlen Vieira on Oct. 5, the same night Pennington will defend her belt against another former champion, Julianna Pena. A win for Harrison, who has a higher profile as a fighter and personality than Aldana or Dumont, would likely put her at the top of the list of contenders for the belt.
Could a dazzling performance from Aldana or Dumont change that dynamic? It wouldn't be the first time that's happened in the UFC.
6. Make the most of your head start
1:17
Raul Rosas Jr. submits Ricky Turcios in front of an excited crowd
Raul Rosas Jr. celebrates after submitting Ricky Turcios with a rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night.
Men's Bantamweight: Raúl Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng
Raul Rosas Jr. is 19 years old and has already had what some might consider a full MMA career. He has fought 10 grown men since turning pro shortly after turning 17. After earning a spot on the UFC roster via “Dana White’s Contender Series” in late 2022, Rosas has had four fights in the Octagon and won all but one. What has been more impressive is his rebound from the one loss: he has notched two wins, both by finish.
The young Mexican-American will be tested by Aoriqileng, a veteran of 37 professional fights. The experienced Chinese fighter began his professional career in 2005, when Rosas was 11 years old.
7, 8, 9 and 10. A count of 10 and it's over?
UFC pay-per-views have become notorious for two things: high-level MMA and lack of sleep. With 12 to 14 fights on a typical night’s schedule, a major card can run for more than seven hours on the air, with the main event often not starting until nearly 1 a.m. in the Eastern time zone.
So seeing just 10 fights on this weekend’s card is refreshing. Maybe it’s a temporary change, the reality of putting on a show at Sphere. Or maybe it’s a nod to the trend in sports to speed up games. MMA can’t institute a shot clock like baseball, but fight promoters do have the leverage to slow down the traditional pace of the show.
Fans will still be working late into the night, as the main card consists of five fights, as usual, and begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. But the card's later start (7:30 p.m.) should leave fans energized to keep going throughout the night.
