UFC 306 gave us a night of pure dominance and relentless pace, with moments that history will tell. The event took place at the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas, which proved a spectacle not only in fight action but also in the background of the venue. The two biggest stories coming out of the evening were Merab Dvalishvili’s capture of the UFC bantamweight title and Valentina Shevchenko’s regaining of her women’s flyweight belt.
Let’s focus on what happened that memorable night and how these two fighters once again proved their true champion spirits.
Merab Dvalishvili: The Machine in Full Force
The main event of UFC 306 pitted Merab Dvalishvili against Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight title. Everyone thought it was going to be fireworks, but boy, did Dvalishvili deliver! He set a relentless pace off the bat that O’Malley simply couldn’t keep up with. Nicknamed “The Machine,” Dvalishvili proved the name apt by constantly pressuring the lethal striker O’Malley to put him where he had to.
In five rounds, Dvalishvili did not just beat O’Malley; he massacred him, taking the unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47. That not only won him the bantamweight title, but it also extended his winning streak in UFC bantamweight division 11 fights. Dvalishvili had an endless supply of energy, and he was able to match a frantic pace when strikes came for him to rock O’Malley’s face with cuts. But the chops didn’t fear him. Every time O’Malley tried to swing, Dvalishvili had an answer, slapping him into the mat with authority.
The grappling exchanges favored the Georgian. The takedown game was immense; O’Malley couldn’t handle the pressure, and there were moments when the opponent found himself slam-packed onto the mat, unable to find a way out. Dvalishvili’s ground game caught the striking specialist off guard, leaving him with no choice but to fail in his attempt to defend against takedowns.
However, Dvalishvili’s fighting abilities did not contribute to this battle. The fight was particularly full of some strange moments. Early in the first round, a heated exchange between O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, and Dvalishvili interrupted the fight. The intense exchange between Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, left everyone in a state of mystery, adding yet another layer to the already intense excitement that characterized the fight.
Another weird spot came in the second round, when Dvalishvili did something that made people scratch their heads. As he held O’Malley against the fence, Dvalishvili leaned in and kissed him, then nonchalantly walked away with four seconds left, which gave O’Malley just in time to get up and land a final strike before the round ended.
Dvalishvili was simply spectacular, and the new UFC bantamweight champion had a relentless pace, wrestling dominance, and cardio that made all the difference, as he stands out for the division as the man to beat.
Valentina Shevchenko: A Masterclass in Dominance
All UFC fans waited to see a legend return to the top, and such was in the form of a trilogy fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso for the women’s flyweight title. Shevchenko is a future Hall of Famer, and last night was a reminder to everyone of why she is one of the greatest female fighters in MMA history.
Shevchenko completely dominated this fight, out striking Grasso 45 to 18. Her striking was sharp, but what was really more impressive was her control on the ground. Shevchenko successfully landed 8 out of 12 takedown attempts and spent more than 16 minutes controlling the position on the ground. That is more than three full rounds of pure dominance.
To her credit, Grasso did not go quietly into the night. She had some bright spots, most notably a guillotine choke in round four that looked like it could be a potential submission victory. For what felt like an eternity, Shevchenko found himself locked in the choke, and it appeared as though Grasso would secure the rare reversal of fortune that Shevchenko’s.
