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What did Jon Jones get up to in Las Vegas while he was in town for his UFC 309 fight announcement? We’ve got all the social media sightings following Noche UFC.

Jon Jones was in Las Vegas on Saturday night for the announcement of his long-awaited UFC 309 fight against Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden. The bout was officially revealed in the MSG-owned Sphere during UFC 306, and Jones was looking fit and fight-ready when the cameras panned to him in the front row.

UFC CEO Dana White was still a bit nervous at the Noche UFC post-fight press conference when reporters told him “Bones” was sighted with notorious troublemaker Ryan Garcia, whose alcohol-fueled spiral has been the feel-bad boxing story of 2024. Jones’ issues with alcohol are well known, and a previous Vegas visit for his Hall of Fame induction in 2021 ended with an arrest and domestic violence charges.

But thus far we have no reports of Jones going off the deep end or getting into any serious trouble. The GOAT was photographed with everyone from Chris Brown to Michael Chandler, and set up some training time with Alex Pereira in late October.

Following UFC 306, the heavyweight champion took his cowboy hat to XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino for Merab Dvalishvili’s big afterparty. “The Machine” was celebrating a decision win over Sean O’Malley that earned him the bantamweight title, and Jones welcomed Merab to the champion’s club in a video posted to the Georgian’s social media.

“Let’s go Merab!” Jones chanted in the video, hoisting Dvalishvili’s belt in the air before hanging it on Merab’s shoulder and congratulating him. Jones also spent some time in the DJ booth with the Swedish House Mafia. As for what other adventures he got up to that evening? Take a look at some of the assembled social media sightings below.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Pereira believes Jones is not long for active competition and would rather get a few rounds in with the GOAT in the gym than try to fight him in in the cage.

UFC 306 went down at the Sphere on Saturday night and it was a star-studded affair with plenty of combat sports legends and celebrities in attendance. In the front row alone we had UFC champions Jon Jones and Alex Pereira sitting next to each other, and the two men clearly enjoyed their time hanging out and talking.

In various interviews with media outlets, Pereira discussed his time with Jones and how the two might end up training together for Jon’s UFC 309 scrap with Stipe Miocic on November 16th after “Poatan” fights Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on October 5th.

“It was awesome to meet him, he’s a very nice guy,” Pereira told TNT Sports through his translator. “We talked, we talked about training together. People talk about me fighting Jon Jones, going up to the heavyweight division, but I don’t know if maybe he have just one fight left. So for me to worry about my weight class is something that’s maybe too much. Right now, maybe we’re going to start training together.”

“We’ve been talking a little bit about training together for a long time, but I think now it’s going to happen,” he told Full Send MMA. “His fight’s going to be in November. every time you leave a fight it takes a week or two to recover from small injuries. But I think I’ll have enough time to go over there.”

“Today I saw him more fit than we last saw him, he looks really good and I want to grab his experience. People talk about us fighting, but people talk about him fighting one time, one or twice more. I don’t know if I’ll be able to share the cage with him, but I want to get the experience of training with him.”

This isn’t the first time Jones retiring after the Stipe fight has come up — when “Bones” returned to challenge for the vacant heavyweight title it was common knowledge amongst his training partners that he planned on winning the belt, defending it against Stipe — statistically the best UFC heavyweight champion ever — and then retiring with that extra juice on his legacy.

After sitting out a year with a pectoral injury, is Jones still sticking to that plan? With a high profile fight in November to hype up, he’s being a lot more tight lipped about the possibility of retirement. But Pereira clearly thinks it’s likely enough that he’s not even bothering to hype up a fight. Instead, he’d rather train with the legend while he has the chance, which tells you something about the kind of fighter he is.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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McGregor is asking Saudi Arabian boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh to help him lock down his next fight after an expected December return date evaporated.

Conor McGregor’s return is back in limbo after the UFC announced on Saturday that his longtime opponent Michael Chandler would be fighting Charles Oliveira next in November instead of “The Notorious.” That leaves McGregor without a date or a name. In other words, it leaves him with nothing.

The only thing McGregor is getting from the UFC these days is a lot of drug testing. During a BKFC press conference on Friday night, the Mac noted that he’d just been called on by Drug Free Sport International again, before saying he had requested boxing power broker and Riyadh Season organizer Turki Alalshikh’s aid in helping him get back in the cage.

“I’ve been tested more than twice these other athletes, yet I struggle to get a date,” McGregor said. “So I’ve talked to Sheikh Turki and I’ve said, ‘Sheikh Turki, can you assist me here?’”

McGregor has been eligible to fight since April 2024 but has found it difficult to get a date locked down with the UFC. When he finally got a June 29th date at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler, a broken toe forced him off the card. Despite it being a minor injury, the UFC hasn’t rushed to rebook the fight. Just bad timing or is there something else going on?

“As far as Chandler rematching Oliveira, I’m happy with the date, it’s November,” McGregor said. “Maybe we can still do it after, if they’re not going to line me up until December or January or February, one of these dates. Maybe we can still do it. I’m just a bit out of the loop with it.”

“All I can do is carry on doing what I’m doing. I test under the testing administration. I train daily. And … you know, that’s it. Let’s see what happens. Hopefully it all comes to fruition.”

And if the UFC is unwilling to book him, maybe they’ll let him do something else in the meantime? They won’t, but McGregor suggested it’d be nice.

“I would love maybe an exemption, or maybe a joint partnership,” he said. “Bare Knuckle / UFC, similar to McGregor Sports & Entertainment / Mayweather Promotions. Some sort of agreement where we can get busy. I need to be busy and right now I’m working to get there.”

“So let’s see what happens. Like I said, I’ve got two fights left on the contract and it’s taking a minute, you know? Patience is one of the most important skills a person can possess. Study, learn, and implement. And that’s where I’m at right now.”

That’s eerily similar to something Michael Chandler said as he rode the pine waiting for the McGregor fight to pan out. Now McGregor is alone on the bench, and who knows for how long.

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Georgia has another champion.

Merab Dvalishvili scored the biggest win of his career at UFC 306 last night (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024), when he dominated Sean O’Malley for five rounds to capture the UFC Bantamweight championship via unanimous decision from inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Before his title fight, Giorgi Kokiashvil of Setanta Sports posted a video of Georgian people taking to the streets at 7 a.m. in Tbilisi, Georgia, to watch him compete.

And by the end of the fight, more than 10,000 fans had shown up to watch Dvalishvili win the title.

Check out the epic video below:

It is always awesome to see a country get behind a fighter, and it’s even more incredible to see them lose their minds when that fighter wins—and, in this case, a title.

Georgia now has two champions, both of which captured UFC gold in 2024. Ilia Topuira won the Featherweight championship in February when he slept Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.
Are Roman Dolidze and Guram Kutateladze next? (Probably not)

Dvalishvili, 33, is riding an 11-fight win streak with wins over four former UFC champions.

For complete UFC 306 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – It’s better to be safe than sorry …

Following UFC 306 tonight (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024), which took place from inside The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, company officials confirmed to MMAMania.com that former UFC title challengers Brian Ortega and Irene Aldana were transported to the local hospital following their fights for a precautionary scan of their face.

Ortega faced off against Diego Lopes in the “Featured” bout, losing a unanimous decision. The two-time Featherweight title challenger suffered a nasty eye injury after getting clobbered in the fight.
Check out the picture of his eye below:

Aldana suffered one of the worst cuts in UFC history in her fight with Norma Dumont. The former Women’s Bantamweight title challenger lost the fight in a lopsided unanimous decision. Aldana has now traded wins and losses in her last three fights.

Check out the nasty cut:

Ronaldo “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez was also transported to the hospital following his win over Ode Osbourne for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face.

It is not uncommon for the UFC to transport fighters to the hospital for precautionary reasons, especially if they are involved in a three-round battle full of damage. The scan results have not been officially released as of this writing, although UFC CEO Dana White said he thinks the fighters are “okay.” Stay with MMAmania.com for health-related updates.

For complete UFC 306 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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Noche UFC 306 results, live streaming updates for “O’Malley vs. Merab”-led pay-per-view (PPV) TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) on ESPN+ from inside The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lands in The Sphere for Noche UFC 306 TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 306’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event features “Suga” Sean O’Malley defending his Bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili. The co-main event is a trilogy bout for the women’s Flyweight title with champion Alexa Grasso meeting Valentina Shevchenko. UFC 306’s main card also boasts Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes at Featherweight, in a make-up fight for their previous booking, which featured the most dramatic opponent replacement in history. Filling out UFC 306’s PPV main card is Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics and Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne.

The “Prelims” are headlined by former title challenger Irene Aldana, who takes on Norma Dumont. Other notable fights on the undercard include Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng and Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza. You can checkout everything that happened on UFC 306’s “Prelims” undercard right here.

UFC 306 START TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 – Riyadh Season Noche UFC fight card below, starting with the ESPNNEWS/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts, which air at 7:30 p.m. ET right here, followed by the UFC 306’s PPV main card, which will start at 10 p.m ET on ESPN+ PPV.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis following “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 306 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream).

UFC 306 QUICK RESULTS

135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
125 lbs.: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
145 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
155 lbs.: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
125 lbs.: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne
135 lbs.: Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont — Dumont def. Irene Aldana via (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes — Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via TKO (punches), round 1 (4:02) — HIGHLIGHTS!
115 lbs.: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza — Souza def Jauregui via technical submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (3:02) — HIGHLIGHTS!
125 lbs.: Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van — Van def. Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoirqileng — Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC 306 PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Bellator London is set to go down today (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) inside OVO Arena Wembley in London, England, featuring a revamped main event as Leah McCourt battles Sara Collins after the Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards Middleweight championship rematch was postponed for unknown reasons (details here). In the new co-main event, Simeon Powell battles Rafael Xavier, while Marc Diakiese makes his Bellator MMA debut against Tim Wilde.

Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, which will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!

BELLATOR LONDON QUICK RESULTS:

Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins
Simeon Powell vs. Rafael Xavier
Marc Diakiese vs. Tim Wilde
Laurynas Urbonavicius vs. Luke Trainer
Archie Colgan vs. Manoel Sousa – Colgan via unanimous decision
Mike Shipman vs. Eslam Abdul Baset – Shipman via second-round knockout
Joseph Luciano vs. Steven Hill – Luciano via second-round submission (anaconda choke)
Ciarán Clarke vs. Tuomas Gronvall – Clarke via unanimous decision
Darragh Kelly vs. Dmytrii Hrytsenko – Kelly via unanimous decision

For all the latest Bellator MMA news and notes click here.

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Reminder: We will deliver live round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of Noche UFC 306’s entire five-fight pay-per-view (PPV) main card RIGHT HERE, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is posted up at the Las Vegas SPHERE for Noche UFC 306 TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 306’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event has Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili fighting it out for ‘Suga’s UFC Bantamweight title. The co-main event sees Alexa Grasso defend her Flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko.

The Noche UFC 306 “Prelims” are headlined by Mexico’s Irene Aldana. She’ll be taking on Brazilian Norma Dumont. The Prelims also include Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes, Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza and Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van. Raul Rosas Jr. opens up the show for us with his fight against Aoriqileng.

So, before UFC 306’s PPV action began live at 10 p.m. ET this evening, MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the entire UFC 306 “Prelims” undercard below, beginning with the first fight at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNNEWS/ESPN+. We are covering UFC 306’s PPV main card in a separate thread right here, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

UFC 306 START TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 – Riyadh Season Noche UFC fight card below, starting with the ESPNNEWS/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts, which air at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the UFC 306’s PPV main card which will start at 10 p.m ET on ESPN+ PPV, with play-by-play updates here.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 306 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream).

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC 306 QUICK RESULTS

135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
125 lbs.: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
145 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
155 lbs.: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
125 lbs.: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne
135 lbs.: Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
155 lbs.: Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
115 lbs.: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
125 lbs.: Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van
135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoirqileng

UFC 306 ‘PRELIMS’ PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in UFC history, but the sport is currently moving forward without him.

The recent years have not been kind to McGregor, who is faced with all sorts of negative statistics ahead of his continually delayed return to action. In the last seven years, McGregor has won just a single time. He’s 36 years old and trying to return from a grotesque leg break. For all his modern talks of titles, “Notorious” pulled out of his scheduled July headliner vs. Michael Chandler because of a broken pinky toe.

More importantly, the Irishman is busy posting political rants and getting hammered in Philadelphia bars. The situation has grown so desperate that Chandler — the eternal optimist who has sacrificed years of his career to score the McGregor match up — has moved on too. Earlier tonight, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Chandler is returning to action in November at UFC 309 in a rematch versus former Lightweight kingpin Charles Oliveira.

This news come as White claims McGregor will return in 2025 despite the former double champion’s insistence that he could return to the cage sooner. Based on his social media reaction, McGregor is annoyed on both accounts, talking trash to Chandler and demanding a return date.

“Chandler saw that takedown getting stuffed and mauled and officially dipped,” McGregor wrote on X. “Little Fat P—sy. I’m at the hard rock hotel Florida for the bare knuckle tonight. Got tested earlier today by DFSI. Give me my f—king date!”

McGregor’s inability to score a return date offers some credence to the theory that UFC is intentionally icing out McGregor in order to improve their upcoming broadcast rights deal negotiations. Having McGregor contracted for two fights is millions of dollars more valuable than a single fight, and UFC surely wants to maximize what’s left of McGregor’s combat sports career.

While still just a theory, it wouldn’t be the first time the valuable asset was shelved.

Insomnia

Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje feels like a really obvious booking, but I would kind of prefer to see Dan Hooker vs. Gaethje in a new match up. Hard to go wrong with Lightweight match ups!

There are drawbacks to being buddies with Renato Moicano.

Mickey Gall title run starts now!

Former Bellator Welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov (27-1) is now a free agent. UFC signing incoming?

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has signed with a major streaming service. How popular can the promotion grow?

Khalil Rountree could become the first hardcore singer to capture a UFC title … that I’m aware of!

They didn’t have to do Rampage like that!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Throwback to Merab Dvalishvili earning his UFC roster position by knocking out future Bellator champion Raufeon Stots.

Beautiful body shot after backing his opponent into the fence:

Marched forward into Southpaw, drew the check, but instead fired a left hook upstairs:

Random Land

A scary thought.

Midnight Music: Indie, 2009

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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One of the most anticipated fight cards of the year will go down tomorrow night (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) as UFC 306 unfolds live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the promotion stages its first-ever event from inside The Sphere.

Leading the way will be a massive main event clash between reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and streaking contender Merab Dvalishvili. This will be O’Malley’s second-straight title defense since winning the 135-pound crown from Aljamain Sterling back in Aug. 2023. If O’Malley is able to score another impressive knockout he could solidify himself as the biggest star in the sport today. Dvalishvili on the other hand, could steal that shine by extending his own win streak to 11.

Adding to the mix will be a co-main event trilogy bout between reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and all-time legend Valentina Shevchenko. Their first matchup back at UFC 285 saw Grasso score a massive upset submission to win the title, which ended Shevchenko’s nine-fight win streak at 125 pounds. The rematch took place almost exactly one year ago and ended in a draw, but many thought “Bullet” did enough to win her title back. The rivalry comes full circle this weekend from inside The Sphere.

On Friday night, UFC 306’s ceremonial weigh ins will go down LIVE and FREE from “Sin City” and feature all 20 fighters competing at the Noche UFC event. It will be their last time to make an impression on fight fans and get a final look at their opponent. Don’t miss a second of the action as it’s set to begin in the above video player starting at 10 p.m. ET.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 306 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 306 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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