The 10-fight UFC 306 card in Las Vegas, Nevada, was headlined by Sphere, the dynamic venue that hosted its first live sports match on Saturday. On the marquee were two title fights, with Merab Dvalishvili and Valentina Shevchenko emerging victorious as champions. Outside of title fights, other stars such as Diego Lopes and Esteban Ribovics also turned in strong performances. To make sense of it all, Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim offer their final thoughts on a historic night.
Machine changes algorithm against 'Suga' Sean
Wagenheim: Dvalishvili did what Dvalishvili does. And not least, he didn't let Sean O'Malley do what he does.
This is how a classic between a striker and a wrestler is supposed to be decided, right?
In dominating the UFC 306 main event to take the bantamweight title from “Suga” Sean, Dvalishvili landed a below-par six takedowns. He's the active UFC leader with 86 takedowns in his 13 trips inside the Octagon, and he's had four fights in which he reached double figures. But make no mistake: His takedown prowess is what made him a champion.
O'Malley fended off nine takedown attempts, and to do so, he had to focus on staying in position to defend against Dvalishvili's aggression. That kept O'Malley in a defensive mindset the entire time. He only showed brief flashes of the dangerous strikes that had gotten him where he was. That's why even when Dvalishvili was being thwarted in his takedown attempts, he remained in control of how the fight played out.
As a result, the fighter even out-landed the attacker. Dvalishvili threw 310 punches, more than three times O'Malley's offensive output (91), and out-punched him 214 to just 49. Even though many of the challenger's punches and kicks barely touched O'Malley and did little damage, they kept the champion busy defending himself and trying in vain to find openings to land his attack.
Dvalishvili transformed himself from a one-dimensional fighter by being so relentless with the takedown aspect of his game that his opponent was unable to exploit any deficiencies in his stand-up fight. Can the new champion do this as he begins his reign, especially when facing a challenger who is more well-rounded? We'll find out.
'Bullet' maintains the basics to dethrone Grasso
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Valentina Shevchenko regains UFC women's flyweight title at UFC 306
Valentina Shevchenko defeats Alexa Grasso in the co-main event of UFC 306 to regain her UFC women's flyweight title.
Healthy: Shevchenko figured out how to beat Alexa Grasso and to do so she had to keep her fight strategy as simple as possible. She played to her strengths by taking Grasso down in all five rounds (eight takedowns in total) and kept control of the clock for over 16 minutes. It wasn't particularly entertaining, but it did its job and ended her 18-month title nightmare.
At 36, Shevchenko is fighting Father Time as much as her opponents, but perhaps she has remembered that relying on her exceptional grappling can neutralize the opposition. Perhaps the days of spectacular knockouts and all-out fights are a thing of the past for Shevchenko, but her strategy of repetition left Grasso at a loss to figure out. Does that speak more to Shevchenko’s overall ability or Grasso’s inability to adapt?
Will the UFC rush into a fourth Grasso-Shevchenko fight? Probably not. At least, not right now. Especially with the dominant performance Shevchenko had at UFC Night. Like Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno before him, there will almost certainly be at least one other opponent for each before they meet again.
A few worthy contenders are lining up for a chance at the title. Manon Fiorot is likely to be next, while the winner of November's clash between Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas is waiting in the wings. Maycee Barber is also rising up the rankings. Grasso may be forced to face one of these four opponents before she can attempt to regain her championship.
As for Shevchenko, she'll be looking to add to her record of title defenses and reestablish her place on the Mount Rushmore of women's MMA. It's just that we may see a more measured and tactical version of Shevchenko at this stage of her career. Make no mistake, Shevchenko's win over Grasso may not have surprised you, but we're still witnessing greatness.
The experience within Sphere was…
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This transition within Sphere is absolutely mind-blowing.
As the UFC prepares for a new fight, it introduces an epic new background to the Sphere screen.
Okamoto: An absolute, undeniable success, in every detail. It is one of the best things the UFC has done in its almost 31-year history.
The sphere itself is so amazing versatileIts capabilities are unlike any other venue I've been in. UFC CEO Dana White has historically disliked stadium shows, because he prioritizes the fan experience and worries that stadium shows compromise indoor experiences. And he's not wrong. Sphere is designed for an indoor experience. It's designed so that it's impossible No Having a good experience in the venue, no matter what you're watching or where you're sitting, because the screen is mind-blowing in and of itself. The UFC embraced that and used it to what seemed like its maximum capacity.
Every time the novelty of the screen size began to wear off, even slightly, the entire atmosphere changed: flower petals would fall from the sky or a huge Mexican flag would take over the entire projection. He struck a perfect balance between realism and a “video game” feel. The acoustics of the show were better than any UFC event I’ve ever attended. The UFC is in the business of promoting fights, so you’d expect someone like White to talk in hype, but he promised an event unlike any that had come before it. The consensus feeling coming out on Saturday night was that he delivered exactly that. There’s nothing to compare it to, because UFC Night was unique.
The experience of watching Sphere at home was…
Wagenheim: I guess you had to be there. Sure, there were moments of stunning visuals on the television broadcast throughout the night, especially once the main card got underway. But those otherworldly occasions came between fights, when fans are usually eager to move on and move on to the next bout.
As the night progressed, the images did indeed jolt the consciousness, but no more so than the rock concerts that have been held at Sphere in its first year. And while the visual cutscenes add a touch that blends seamlessly with a concert, they tend to be an experience in themselves during the fight card. Once the fists started flying, the surroundings basically faded into the background.
And was it necessary to be so self-congratulatory? The footage at the start of the night often featured the “UFC Night” logo taking center stage. And the broadcast began with everyone on camera excited about how this was going to be, in the words of Dana White, “the greatest sporting event anyone has ever seen.” Are you exaggerating too much?
The television experience was by no means a failure, but we didn't get anything as memorable as what the people who paid big bucks to be there in person enjoyed. The UFC has always convinced us that the fights are the spectacle. And despite $20 million in production trappings, that promise was kept even on this groundbreaking night.
