One historic night, two new champions! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Merab Dvalishvili on defeating Sean O’Malley to claim the UFC Bantamweight Championship title at UFC 306 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the event’s headline fight inside The Sphere venue, the 33-year-old from Tbilisi, Georgia, went the distance to earn a unanimous decision victory after five rounds.
The night’s co-main event saw 36-year-old Valentina Shevchenko from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, defeat her Monster Energy teammate Alexa Grasso via unanimous decision to reclaim the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship title. Earlier on the main card, 29-year-old Diego Lopes from Manaus, Brazil, defeated Brian Ortega via unanimous decision. In the night’s Early Prelims, 19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. from Clovis, New Mexico, earned a unanimous decision victory over Qileng Aori from China.
UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili was contested in front of 16,024 spectators inside The Sphere arena in Las Vegas. Also known as Noche UFC, the historic event celebrating Mexican Independence Day marked the first UFC event inside the futuristic venue, boasting state-of-the-art audiovisual effects. Featuring five fights on the Main Card, UFC 306 was broadcast live on ESPN, and Prelims streamed on the ESPN+ platform.
In the night’s main event, Monster Energy’s Merab Dvalishvili (18-4) stepped into the ring on a ten-fight win streak. After most recently defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February 2024, the 33-year-old from Tbilisi, Georgia, earned his title shot against American Sean O’Malley from Helena, Montana. O’Malley became the UFC Bantamweight Champion in August 2023 by defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. In his second title defense, he had to maintain the belt against “The Machine” Dvalishvili.
From the start, Dvalishvili relied on his notorious grappling and ground control to reign in O’Malley’s striking game. In the opening round, the challenger absorbed punishing shots and pressured the champion with takedowns and a Guillotine attempt before the bell.
The next rounds saw Dvalishvili establish dominance by hitting O’Malley with brutal knees and body slam takedowns. Although O’Malley fired back with elbows that visibly cut Dvalishvili, the Georgian maintained control of the fight and blunted the champion’s offensive striking.
Finally, the win was undeniable: Over the course of the fight, Dvalishvili gained more than ten minutes of control time while shutting down O’Malley to only landing 47 significant strikes. When all was said and done, the judges pronounced Dvalishvili the winner via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).
“I know he was good, but I made him look normal. I am the best bantamweight in the UFC,” said Dvalishvili upon winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship in Las Vegas.
Dvalishvili has now won eleven consecutive fights. With ten of those victories earned at 135 pounds, the Georgian athlete and new champion now holds the longest winning streak in UFC bantamweight history.
In the co-main event, Monster Energy’s Valentina Shevchenko (24-4) stepped inside the Octagon looking to settle the score after losing the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship title to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 in March 2023. Previously, the athlete from Kyrgyzstan had held the title since 2018.
Grasso (16-4) came to Las Vegas as the reigning champion. She submitted Shevchenko to become champion at UFC 285, then retained her belt via a split draw at the inaugural Noche UFC in September 2023, further fueling the anticipation for Saturday night’s battle at UFC 306.
The battle unfolded with Shevchenko hurting the champion with a right hook and establishing her dominant wrestling early in the fight. Using combinations and fast takedowns, Shevchenko took the upper hand in the fight while defending against Grasso’s grappling.
The third round saw Shevchenko land a brutal head kick and knee in the clinch. In the championship rounds, Shevchenko defended against Grasso’s submission attempts and continued to find openings for takedowns and punishing shots.
Ultimately, Shevchenko’s dominance was undeniable: Over five rounds, she took down Grasso eight times with 16:04 minutes of control time while landing 56 percent of her significant strikes. In a clear verdict, the judges pronounced Shevchenko the winner via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
“To be the best, you have to win against the best. This is every time my mindset. This defines me, who I am,” said Shevchenko upon earning the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship title. “This belt, what it means for me, is all the story of losing the belt because of my own errors that I did in the first fight.”
Earlier on the main card, 29-year-old Diego Lopes (26-6) from Manaus, Brazil, finally had the chance to face Brian Ortega (16-4) from Los Angeles. The highly anticipated bout in the UFC’s featherweight was initially slated for UFC 303 in June but was canceled at the last minute.
With expectations running high, Lopes used his striking to pressure Brian Ortega at every turn. In the opening round, Lopes scored a knockdown with a two-punch combo that wobbled Ortega but proved unable to secure a submission on the ground.
Over the three-round fight, Lopes took control and sent Ortega to the floor once more in the final round. Ultimately, the judges ruled Lopes the winner by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27). Lopes now is riding a five-fight win streak.
“My goal was to give a message to the whole division that I’m a complete, well-rounded fighter. I think I was able to do that. If I want to strike for fifteen minutes, I’ll do it. If I want to wrestle for fifteen minutes, I’ll do that. I think I left my message pretty clear tonight,” said Lopes upon winning his fight at UFC 306.
During Early Prelims, 19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1) from Clovis, New Mexico, faced his toughest challenge to date in his bantamweight fight against Qileng Aori (25-12) from China. In the opening round, Rosas Jr. landed heavy strikes and secured a takedown, with Qileng evading submission.
As the fight went the distance for three rounds, Rosas Jr. relied on repeated takedowns and ground control to establish his dominance. Finally, the judges named Rosas Jr. the winner via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Nicknamed “El Niño Problema” (The Problem Child), Rosas Jr. is the youngest fighter signed to the UFC and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak.
“It feels amazing. Making history. I’m just 19 years old with all these people behind me,” said Rosas Jr. after his win at UFC 306. Congratulations to all fighters on their victories in this historic UFC Noche event!
Merab Dvalishvili, Valentina Shevchenko, Diego Lopes, Raul Rosas Jr., and Alexa Grasso count amongst Monster Energy’s elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman, Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Marlon Vera, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Yair Rodriguez, Jessica-Rose Clark, Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Punahele Soriano, Gilbert Burns, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush, Brendan Allen, Jalin Turner, Sean Strickland, Zhang Weili, Dan Ige, Alex Pereira, Daniel Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis, Belal Muhammad, Cameron Saaiman, and Dricus Du Plessis.
For more on Monster Energy’s MMA athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
