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LAS VEGAS — UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, title challenger Merab Dvalishvili, UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, former champion Valentina Shevchenko, Brian Ortega, Diego Lopes and more stars of UFC 306 faced off for the final time at ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of Saturday’s Noche UFC event at Sphere.

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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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Michael Chandler will not be fighting Conor McGregor next, so says Dana White.

For nearly two years, Chandler has been waiting on a fight with McGregor. After numerous rumored dates and a full season as coaches opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter, the fight finally got scheduled for UFC 303 this past June. However, just a few weeks before the event, McGregor withdrew from the bout, citing a toe injury. In lieu of finding a new opponent for Chandler, a new main event stepped in with the plan being to re-book the McGregor vs. Chandler fight in the future.

Except now, it may not be happening at all.

On Friday, UFC CEO Dana White revealed to Spinning Backfist that Chandler is done waiting for McGregor and will not be McGregor’s comeback opponent, whenever “Notorious” does return to the UFC.

“Is Chandler still going to be his opponent,” Robbie Fox as White about McGregor.

“No. No,” White responded. “…Chandler said, ‘I’m done waiting. I want to fight.’”

Chandler did not immediately respond to comment when MMA Fighting reached out.

After withdrawing from UFC 303, McGregor assured Chandler and fans that the fight would take place in 2024, however, White has remained adamant that the former two-division champion will not fight in 2024, saying an early 2025 return is more likely. Meanwhile, Chandler teased a possible fight announcement earlier this month, though he did not mention an opponent.

Chandler has not competed in almost two years, since his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Meanwhile, McGregor has been out of action for over three years, following his catastrophic leg injury suffered against Poirier at UFC 264.

**UPDATE**

McGregor responded to White’s announcement via social media on Friday evening, mocking Chandler and saying that he is simply waiting for a date to be booked.

“Chandler saw that takedown getting stuffed and mauled and officially dipped. Little Fat p*ssy. I’m at the hard rock hotel Florida for the bare knuckle tonight. Got tested earlier today by DFSI. Give me my f*cking date!”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

“The greatest live sporting event of all-time” takes place this Saturday when UFC 306 goes down in Sphere in Las Vegas. Headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, “Riyadh Season Noche UFC” also features a women’s flyweight championship trilogy between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, and eight other pivotal matchups. Who walks away as winners on Saturday and how can you profit? Let’s dive in.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Straight Bets

Sean O’Malley (-146)

I’ve got a full breakdown of this matchup coming, so read that for a deeper dive into my thought on the main event this weekend, but it boils down to one very simple idea: Dvalishvili cannot finish this fight and O’Malley can. 25 minutes is a long time to fight perfectly and that’s what Dvalishvili has ahead of him, where for O’Malley, it only takes one good shot. If Dvalishvili comes out and gets 100 takedowns, then he will win, but I think O’Malley’s ability to control range will help him avoid most takedowns and he’s so far ahead on the feet that I like his chances to retain the title.

Brian Ortega (+146)

Ortega takes on Diego Lopes in the featured fight of the evening and it’s a testament to how popular Lopes is that he’s a considerable favorite over the more proven Ortega. And I intend to take advantage of that.

Personally, I dislike Ortega’s game (specifically his complete disdain for defense) but the man is undeniably effective. Against all but the absolute top tier of competition, Ortega has found a way to win, and Lopes has not. That’s not to say he can’t, but it’s unproven thus far. Give me plus money on the more proven winner.

Esteban Ribovics (+182)

Ribovics fights Daniel Zellhuber, and this one is going to be a banger. Both are young, high-action fighters who are going to get in there and chuck ‘em. Zellhuber does have the advantage of being a bigger person, but Ribovics is tough as nails and comes to scrap and I think he’s got a much better chance to get his hand raised than the odds indicate.

Norma Dumont (-108)

Dumont takes on Irene Aldana in the prelim main event, and I think she’s in good shape to get a win. Like the main event, this is a striker vs. grappler matchup, and while on paper Aldana is a good defensive wrestler, I think that’s a bit misleading. Amanda Nunes, Macy Chiasson, and Holly Holm all had great success scoring takedowns on Aldana and Dumont should have the same success, leading her to a straightforward win.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Alexa Grasso by Points (+200)

That’s right, I, the driver of the “Bullet” train, am jumping off the Shevchenko bandwagon. It hurts me to do so, but at this point, it must be done. Grasso and Shevchenko have now fought each other for over 40 minutes, and while Shevchenko has won much of that time, I personally believe she lost both fights overall.

On top of that, Shevchenko isn’t getting better. She’s pushing 37 and has been fighting for 20 years. Conversely, Grasso is still improving. So if a better version of Shevchenko couldn’t beat a worse version of Grasso, why would she win this time around? It hurts my soul to say but it’s Grasso’s time right now and Shevchenko should move up to 135.

That being said, I’d be surprised if she got a finish. Shevchenko could always try another ill-fated head-and-arm throw and get choked out again, but after twice failing in the same way, I suspect this time she won’t, meaning we’re in for a decision win for Grasso.

Wrap Up

Wow. It’s been a hot minute since we last did one of these! Last time we were here it was UFC Vegas 96 and we did at least walk away with a winning week. Can we do it again? Let’s hope.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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