UFC Gets New Champ at First Vegas Sphere Sports Event

Posted on: September 15, 2024, 02:22h. 

Last updated on: September 15, 2024, 09:14h.

Merab Dvalishvili is the UFC’s new bantamweight champion, having savagely wrested the title from Sean O’Malley to close UFC 306, the first sports event held at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Dvalishvili devastated O’Malley, who had promised to take him down inside the first round, by unanimous decision in the five-round main event on Saturday night. Living up to his nickname of “The Machine,” Dvalishvili mauled his opponent in takedown after wrestling takedown, while transforming his five-inch-shorter stature into an advantage by using it to avoid O’Malley’s trademark knockout punch.

O’Malley successfully defended his belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March. But riding a 10-fight winning streak, Dvalishvili proved too much, and now it’s an 11-fight streak.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Dvalishvili said in his post-fight interview. “I know O’Malley is good, but I made him look normal.”

O’Malley, who chose not to appear at the post-fight presser, tweeted: “Over promised, under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys.”

Dvalishvili had been a -120 favorite to win.

Valentina to Victory

Earlier in the evening, equivalent excitement was generated when former champ Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed her women’s flyweight title from Alexa Grasso, who snatched it from her last March.

Shevchenko, widely regarded as one of the best female fighters in MMA history, landed a career-best eight takedowns.

After a controversial split draw last September, the UFC decided to give Shevchenko one more shot and she made it count.

The decision was unanimous.

Elsewhere on the card, Diego Lopes inched closer to a title shot by leaving Brian Ortega him a bloody mess after three rounds. The two had been scheduled to battle at UFC 303 before Ortega withdrew due to illness.

The Sphere Gonna Sphere

The Sphere did its Sphere thing, enveloping the fighters in dazzling high-tech megapixels during the 10-bout event, which was branded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC for Mexican Independence Day.

But, other than enhancing the fighters’ Octagon entrances, the video — which UFC CEO Dana White was forced to spend $20 million producing (just for this one event!) — merely distracted from the spectacle emanating from the mat.

Indeed, White himself has stated that the UFC will never to return to the famous Vegas orb.

Also at UFC 306, White announced that UFC 309 would feature Jon Jones v. Stipe Miocic, Michael Chandler v. Charles Oliveira, and Bo Nickal v. Paul Craig at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.

No $20 million videos will be required for that.