UFC 306
UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili | ||||
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A poster or logo for UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili. | ||||
Information | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | September 14, 2024 | |||
Venue | Sphere | |||
City | Paradise, Nevada, United States | |||
Attendance | 16,024[1] | |||
Total gate | $21,829,245[1] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili (branded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC for sponsorship reasons) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 14, 2024, at the Sphere venue in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States.[2][3][4]
Background
This event marked the promotion's second "Noche UFC" edition celebrating Mexican independence day after holding UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 the year prior.[5] It was also the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding it as "Riyadh Season Noche UFC", after a partnership with Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.[4]
The event told the history of combat in Mexico from the past to the future.[6] UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari discussed the six 90-second film clips about Mexico's contribution to combat sports playing between bouts on the main card and that they were produced by film director Carlos López Estrada.[7][8] Each bout took place in a different world with images on the LED screens inside the arena.[8] White said that the budget for the production of the one-time only event exceeded $20 million compared to the approximate $2 million that is used at regular pay-per-view events.[8] Also, all but one of the fights on the card (the main event) featured a Mexican-born or Mexican-American fighter.[9] In addition, eight ring girls of Mexican descent were brought in for this event.[10]
A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlined the event.[11]
A UFC Women's Flyweight Championship trilogy bout between current champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko took place at the co-main event.[12] The pairing first met at UFC 285 in March 2023, where Grasso won the title by fourth round submission upset.[13] Their second meeting took place at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 in September 2023, which the bout ended by split draw.[14] The pairing previously coached on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko against each other.[15] Manon Fiorot served as backup and potential replacement for this fight.[16]
A featherweight bout between former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes took place at the event.[17] The pair was previously expected to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega withdrew just hours before the bout due to illness.[18]
A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira was scheduled for this event.[19] However, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira to serve as the main event.[20]
A flyweight bout between Édgar Cháirez and Kevin Borjas was scheduled for this event.[21] However, Borjas withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Joshua Van.[22]
Results
Main card | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Bantamweight | Merab Dvalishvili | def. | Sean O'Malley (c) | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) | 5 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 1] |
Women's Flyweight | Valentina Shevchenko | def. | Alexa Grasso (c) | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 2] |
Featherweight | Diego Lopes | def. | Brian Ortega | Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Esteban Ribovics | def. | Daniel Zellhuber | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Flyweight | Ronaldo Rodríguez | def. | Ode' Osbourne | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Preliminary card (ESPNews / ESPN+) | |||||||
Women's Bantamweight | Norma Dumont | def. | Irene Aldana | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Ignacio Bahamondes | def. | Manuel Torres | TKO (punches) | 1 | 4:02 | |
Women's Strawweight | Ketlen Souza | def. | Yazmin Jauregui | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 3:02 | |
Flyweight | Joshua Van | def. | Édgar Cháirez | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
Bantamweight | Raúl Rosas Jr. | def. | Aori Qileng | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
- ↑ For the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
- ↑ For the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship.
Bonus awards
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[24]
- Fight of the Night: Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
- Performance of the Night: Ignacio Bahamondes and Ketlen Souza
Records set
The event generated $21,829,245 in ticket receipts, which broke the record for the biggest gate in UFC history surpassing UFC 205 (which previously held the record with a gate of $17,700,000).[25]
UFC 306 also now holds highest-grossing records for the following: sales for VIP experiences, merchandise sales at a UFC event, single event ticket sales at the Sphere venue, and sponsorship sales (based on the partnership with Riyadh Season).[26]
See also
References
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