UFC 306 went down at The Sphere in Las Vegas and the main event was for the bantamweight title. The champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley (18-1) was looking to defend his title against the number one contender Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (17-4).
Dvalishvili made his octagon debut back in 2017 and he got off to a really rough start. Merab lost his first two fights and it wasn’t clear what his future would be with the UFC. Then, he turned into The Machine. Dvalishvili has won ten fights in a row now and he’s stepped up the competition along the way to get to this title shot. His last three wins came against former champions Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo.
While he’s been on an incredible run, he’ll still be the betting underdog tonight against the champion Sean O’Malley. O’Malley became a star after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. From there, the UFC built him up. After defeating Petr Yan, he earned a title shot against Aljamain Sterling. O’Malley knocked Sterling out and then defended his title against Chito Vera ahead of this title fight with Dvalishvili.
UFC 306 Recap
Round 1
The Noche UFC main event starts with immediate pressure from the champion. Dvalishvili circles on the outside. Right to the body lands for O’Malley and now another. Dvalishvili upping the pressure and O’Malley just misses a spinning back kick. Left to the body now from O’Malley.
Left straight lands for O’Malley and now another. Dvalishvili is trying to get on the inside here and he lands a kick to the body. Right straight just misses from O’Malley and now the champion lands a jab. Low kick from Dvalishvili. Sharp jab from O’Malley and now he goes to the body. Left snaps the head back of Dvalishvili.
Front leg side kick from O’Malley. Right over the top from O’Malley and here comes the takedown attempt from Dvalishvili. Easy takedown from Dvalishvili and he has O’Malley against the fence. O’Malley gets to his feet but is dragged right back down. Short shots from Dvalishvili and now knees to the thighs.
O’Malley breaks free with a minute left in the first round. Body kick from O’Malley. Right over the top from Dvalishvili and he lands a takedown right after. O’Malley forces a scramble but Dvalishvili gets a guillotine. He just uses it for control but O’Malley gets up and breaks free. The round ends and it’s 1-0 Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
Round 2
Entering the second and that was a picture perfect first for Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley takes the center to start the second round and Dvalishvili very light on his feet. Body kick from Dvalishvili starts the striking. Right to the body from O’Malley. O’Malley is upping his pressure and Dvalishvili immediately takes the center and starts pushing forward.
O’Malley is really struggling to find his timing here in the first couple of rounds. Wild right hand from O’Malley and Dvalishvili ducks perfectly and lands a takedown. Merab Dvalishvili is doing his best wet blanket impression here and he’s giving O’Malley no space.
Dvalishvili briefly postures up and almost gets clipped with an upkick. Two minute left in the round and Dvalishvili is all over O’Malley. O’Malley goes for a triangle but he holds Dvalishvili’s glove and Herb Dean takes the position away. Dvalishvili back on top and he lands a big right hand. O’Malley trying to get back to his feet but he’s getting smashed by Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili pushes O’Malley against the fence and he’s just mauling the champion. Total domination right now and O’Malley looks exhausted already. The round ends and it’s 2-0 for Dvalishvili at Noche UFC.
Round 3
Entering the third round and it’s all Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. O’Malley takes the center but he’s looking tired here. Right to the body and Dvalishvili is very light on his feet. Body kick from O’Malley lands. Over a minute into the third round and there’s not much happening here.
O’Malley wings a right hand but it misses. Dvalishvili mauls O’Malley against the fence and he drags him down. A nice knee landed on the way down. This is a one-sided beating so far. Dvalishvili is just hanging on O’Malley here landing big knees. The champion looks frustrated and tired.
He does break free and they get back to striking with half the round remaining. Jumping knee from O’Malley misses and he eats two big shots from Dvalishvili for his troubles. Left hand just touches the face of Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili threatens a takedown but doesn’t commit. Big left straight lands from O’Malley.
Dvalishvili fails on another takedown and O’Malley lands a 1-2. The champion is building a little momentum here in the third. Left and a big knee from O’Malley to end the round. Honestly, that might’ve been enough to swing him the round and it might be 2-1 at Noche UFC.
Round 4
Entering the fourth and O’Malley needs to try and build off that momentum he gained in the third. Dvalishvili is upping his pressure here in the fourth. Right over the top from O’Malley. Dvalishvili is pushing forward looking to close the distance. Sharp jab from O’Malley and now a big right from the champion.
Big takedown from Dvalishvili but he eats an elbow from O’Malley. That elbow cut open Dvalishvili but he is enjoying the top position and has over three minutes left to work. Short shots from Dvalishvili and now he advances to half guard. Halfway through the fourth round and it’s all Dvalishvili.
O’Malley is trying to scramble but he looks exhausted. Dvalishvili is just not letting up and O’Malley looks defeated on the bottom. O’Malley battles his way back to his feet but Dvalishvili still has the body lock. O’Malley is dragged back down to the ground with one minute left to work. O’Malley is getting ragdolled here. The round ends and it’s all Dvalishvili at Noche UFC.
Round 5
Entering the final round and it’s going to take a finish from Sean O’Malley. 30 seconds in and not much is happening. There doesn’t appear to be any urgency from Sean O’Malley. One minute in and nothing of significance has been thrown by either fighter. 90 seconds into the round and Dvalishvili lands an easy takedown.
Big knees to the thigh from Dvalishvili and he gets the back of O’Malley. O’Malley does break free but now there’s only half the round remaining. Left straight lands for O’Malley and Dvalishvili circles on the outside. Two minutes left and O’Malley needs to go for broke here.
Big kick to the body lands for O’Malley and that hurt Dvalishvili briefly. However, O’Malley looks to exhausted to take advantage. Dvalishvili is going for takedowns and O’Malley is targeting the body. A nice knee from O’Malley. Combination from O’Malley and Dvalishvili gets a takedown at the end of the round. Regardless of how that round is scored Merab Dvalishvili is going to become the new UFC bantamweight champion.
Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley by Unanimous Decision