PBP UFC 306 - Noche UFC: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili Main Card PBP Discussion: Sat 9/14 at 10pm ET

[MarleyLynx]

48-47 lol, think about that

It makes absolutely no sense.

 

[MarleyLynx]

3rd and 5th for O'Malley due to damage, especially the 5th.

It was 50-45, 49-46 being generous and 50-44 truly.

 

[ledonk]

Have we ever waited so long for a fraud check? God that was satisfying. How we feeling:

as someone who grew up listening to rap, this may be the worst song i have ever heard in my life. That includes some "giddy up" my little pony song my niece forced upon me.

 

[achoo42]

No, you really couldn’t. The only thing you could possibly say is that meran won those rounds he just didn’t dominate Sean. He didn’t win a single rnd. That’s crazy to suggest otherwise

Based on damage, how do you not give the 5th round to O'Malley?

 

[MarleyLynx]

Because of the actual scoring criteria.

O'Malley won rounds 3 and 5

According to the scoring criteria the correct score is 50-44.

 

[TITS]

Yea, it sucks seeing the sport I enjoy watching get ruined by guys like Merab who have no interest in fighting. Not a fan of watching guys run away for 5 rounds.

Yeah, it sucks. Maybe Merab should have stood still with his hands down and let O'Malley have a free one for old time's sake.

 

[Mask Of Winters]

Herb telling Merab to work when he was literally in the middle of pummeling O'Malley on the ground completely invalidates all the "he was running the whole time!" whining.

 

[Mask Of Winters]

I was so happy O'Malley finally got exposed as the fraud he always was that I gave Val permission to have sex with him after the card. I've got other fillies in the stable and she needed a night off from me anyway.

 

[Ladder Master]

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[svmr_db]

The kisses lmao

 

[Mask Of Winters]

Only way the main event could've been better is if Merab had jumped the cage and given O'Malley's coach a thrashing.

 

[sanguinius]

Maybe Sean will reinvent himself after this
Come back like a regular dude, with a normal haircut and everything

Sean "Sugar" O'malley.

 

[Mask Of Winters]

What a strange card lol. Weird symbolism used in the sphere too tonight with the costumes and on screen visuals. Couldn't believe Ortega and Sean got embarrassed like that.

Grassso got embarrassed too. Just sayin'.

 

[John makfresshi]

My boy, T City!!!! They forget so quickly about the 2016 comebacks, the 2017 strangles, the wars and blood spilled mean nothing to these dorks

 

[Mask Of Winters]

Sean "Sugar" O'malley.

Or he could rename himself Salty after his fanbase. (Rim shot.)

 

[josh345]

Grassso got embarrassed too. Just sayin'.

This is true

 

[maximus__]

Oh I don't disagree with the stats. I swear they used to be alright, but these days they always seem inflated. I'm convinced everything that isn't a jab is called "significant" as opposed to shots that actually do damage, and I wouldn't be surprised if checked leg kicks and whiffed shots are counted at times too

I'd actually be excited to see Merab vs Umar, I want to see who imposes their grappling, but Figgy should get the shot IMO. O'Malley vs Sandhagen should headline a fight night

Stats | UFC

Merab landed more strikes to the head than O'malley landed all fight.

I missed half the 3rd round because of my "fully legit" way of watching going back in time after O'malley tried to pull an Aljo.
I had it 50-45 Merab. 2x shots in the 5th round that led to nothing didn't win him that 5th round IMO.
I think Figgy needs one more to be honest.

Sandhagen is a much better win than Vera at this point. Umar has looked flawless in all but one second of a fight where he got dropped and showed he can strike if his wrestling is nullified.
Figgy can fight one more. His win over Vera is the least impressive IMO. It was a pretty even fight decided on a single sequence in the 3rd round.

 

[Rataria]

Hopefully my streak continues and O'Malley loses the belt.

What about Esteban Ribovics?

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

“The Machine” rolls on, and “The Suga Show” is on hiatus, at least for the time being.

Merab Dvalishvili Grinds Down Sean O’Malley at UFC 306

“The Machine” rolls on, and “The Suga Show” is on hiatus, at least for the time being.

www.sherdog.com

In the main event of UFC 306 inside Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas, Merab Dvalishvili (18-4, 11-2 UFC) plied his relentless wrestling and his legendary pace and cardio to dethrone Sean O'Malley (18-2, 1 NC, 10-2, 1 NC UFC) and claim the bantamweight belt. The first round was a tense affair, with both men feeling out the range and rhythm, but the challenger landed two takedowns with relative ease in the second half of the frame, landing some solid strikes as O’Malley worked his way back to his feet and briefly threatening with a mounted guillotine choke late. Dvalishvili wasted little time bringing things back to the canvas in Round 2, timing the champ for an easy double-leg and doing work from top position for the balance of the round. By the end of the second frame, Dvalishvili was grinning and clowning, planting a kiss on the head of the seated champ and drawing an angry swipe from O’Malley as the round expired. The tide appeared to be turning in the middle round, as Dvalishvili failed to secure a takedown for the first time all night, and the champ landed several clean, hard strikes as the shorter man tried to close the distance. O’Malley’s momentum carried over to Round 4, as he sniped from the outside over the first two minutes, landing a couple of body shots and a right hand up top that appeared to hurt “The Machine.” Dvalishvili scored a takedown before the midpoint of Round 4, however, and went right back to work chipping away with short strikes and threatening to pass O’Malley’s guard. Late in the round, Dvalishvili landed a series of blows to O’Malley while the champ was seated against the fence that appeared to do damage, as O’Malley made it back to his feet but was visibly hurt. With his belt likely five minutes away from changing hands, O’Malley came out aggressive to start the final round, but while he marched down his foe, he hesitated to throw the strikes that could have swung the fight in his favor. When Dvalishvili landed yet another takedown, it might have portended the end of the champ’s chances at retaining, but O’Malley returned to his feet quickly and came alive, stinging Dvalishvili with front kicks, punches and a well-timed intercepting knee up the middle. With under a minute to go, O’Malley showed a sense of urgency but couldn’t make anything happen before the final horn.

The judges rendered their decision in favor of Dvalishvili via 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 scores, extending his win streak to 11 straight and minting him the newest UFC men’s bantamweight champ. With the loss, O’Malley does not figure to fall too far from the title picture, given his star power and elite skills.

Related » Noche UFC 306 Round-by-Round Scoring​

Shevchenko Dominates Grasso to Regain Belt​

The greatest fighter in women’s flyweight history proved that she is not quite done compiling her legendary résumé, as she put on a dominant performance against Alexa Grasso, the woman who dethroned her last year and retained the belt thanks to a draw in their rematch. Shevchenko (23-4-1, 13-3-1 UFC) leaned early and often on her elite, yet sometimes overlooked wrestling and top position grappling, grounding Grasso in all five rounds, racking up three full rounds’ worth of control time, and frankly making it look easy along the way. Grasso (16-4-1, 8-4-1 UFC) had a few bright moments, including delivering submission scares to Shevchenko in Rounds 2 and 4, but for the most part it was the “Bullet” show for five rounds at Sphere. The cageside judges concurred, scoring the fight for Shevchenko by unanimous 50-45 tallies. With the win, Shevchenko recaptured the UFC flyweight belt with which she is practically synonymous; whether the first title defense of her second reign will be against Grasso, whose series with Shevchenko stands at 1-1-1, or against surging Manon Fiorot, who was present in Las Vegas and weighed in as a backup for Saturday’s championship fight, will remain to be seen.

Lopes Batters Ortega​

Diego Lopes (26-6, 6-1 UFC) took a huge step forward in the featherweight pecking order, battering and bruising a game but overmatched Brian Ortega (16-4, 1 NC’ 8-4, 1 NC UFC) for three rounds. Their delayed matchup, which had been scheduled to take place six weeks ago but was postponed due to a fight-day illness on the part of Ortega, saw Lopes jump all over Ortega early in Round 1, rocking the veteran contender with clean punches, dropping him and swarming for the finish. Ortega weathered the storm, however, and tied up Lopes in his vaunted guard, buying himself time to get back into the fight. By the time the first round expired, Ortega was behind but still very much in the fight. Ortega came back strong in Round 2, but Lopes’ speed, power and combination punching were simply too much. Making matters worse, Lopes’ calf kicks took a steady toll on Ortega’s left leg, leaving him badly swollen and limping by round’s end. The final frame offered more of the same, with Ortega marching forward and trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but unable to keep up with the red-hot rising contender Lopes. A damaging flurry in the closing moments put a stamp on the proceedings for Lopes, who prevailed by 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 scores. Lopes’ fifth straight win in the UFC likely left him on the short list for a shot at featherweight champ Ilia Topuria; the lopsided loss for Ortega left him further than ever from title contention.

Ribovics Nips Zellhuber in Epic Scrap​

A good case could be made that the real winners of the Esteban Ribovics-Daniel Zellhuber clash were the fans, as the two lightweights combined to produce a potential “Fight of the Year” and “Round of the Year.” Ribovics (14-1) and Zellhuber (15-2) were already well on their way to an entertaining, closely fought bout through the first two rounds, both of which could easily have been scored for either fighter. Things went supernova in Round 3, however, as Zellhuber dropped Ribovics with a spinning elbow strike. The Argentinean got back to his feet, rocked Zellhuber with a huge right hand, and spent the next minute-plus chasing him around the cage, piling on dozens of unanswered strikes as referee Jason Herzog looked on closely. Incredibly, Zellhuber not only survived the onslaught, but recovered his wits sufficiently to get the better of some last-second exchanges right before the final horn. The Sphere crowd made its approval heard as the two lightweight warriors raised their hands in triumph, but it was Ribovics who had his hand raised after the official scores were read, having prevailed by split scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. The victory left Ribovics’ UFC record at 3-1, while Zellhuber’s promotional mark fell to 3-2 in defeat.

Rodriguez Outduels Osbourne​

In the main card opener, Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-2) outdueled Ode Osbourne (12-8) in a tilt that was competitive as a whole, but lopsided from one round to the next, as the flyweights took turns walloping each other. “The Jamaican Sensation” got off to a great start, flooring Rodriguez with a right hand and nearly finishing things right there with a couple of pinpoint follow-up strikes. Rodriguez survived but spent the balance of the round in desperation mode, fighting off a deep triangle choke. Even after extricating himself from the triangle, Rodriguez arguably lost the remainder of the round from top position, as Osbourne threw effective elbows and punches from his back. Rodriguez got his revenge in Round 2, however, sniffing out a guillotine attempt by Osbourne, reversing him and spending the balance of the round mauling Osbourne from back mount. With the fight likely still up for grabs, the flyweights collaborated on a competitive Round 3, with both men having moments of success. After a bout with potential 10-8 rounds turned in by both fighters, Rodriguez prevailed by 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 scorecards, bringing his record to 2-0 in the UFC; Osbourne fell to 4-6 with the promotion.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Sean O'Malley had a few fleeting moments, but Merab Dvalishvili was inevitable.

The Georgian grappler won his 11th consecutive fight, claiming the bantamweight throne with a unanimous decision triumph over O’Malley in the UFC 306 headliner at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Dvalishvili limited O’Malley’s opportunities by implementing his trademark pace and wrestling over the course of the 25-minute affair. “The Machine” didn’t get long to bask in the glow of his championship feat, however, as he was quickly asked about the looming challenge of top contender Umar Nurmagomedov. For now, it’s time to let Dvalishvili enjoy the moment.

By the Numbers: Noche UFC 306

Sean O'Malley had a few fleeting moments, but Merab Dvalishvili was inevitable.

www.sherdog.com

Here is a by-the-numbers look at UFC 306, with statistics courtesy of UFCStats.com.

9: UFC bantamweight champions. Dvalishvili joins a group that includes O’Malley, Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt, Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao.


6: Takedowns landed in 15 attempts for Dvalishvili. “The Machine” has landed five or more takedowns at least 10 times during his UFC career.

85: Career takedowns landed for Dvalishvili. On Saturday, he surpassed Gleison Tibau (84) for No. 2 all-time in promotion history. Only Georges St. Pierre (90) has landed more.

82: Significant strikes landed by Dvalishvili. By comparison, O’Malley landed 47. Dvalishvili also held a 214-to-49 edge in total strikes landed. It’s just the third time O’Malley has been at a deficit in significant strikes during his promotional tenue. He is 0-2 with one no contest in those bouts.

45: Significant ground strikes for Dvalishvili. O’Malley landed just two significant strikes on the ground.

23: Significant body strikes landed by O’Malley. Dvalishvili, meanwhile, landed just four. Body work was where O’Malley found his most success, particularly in Round 5, when he held a 9-0 edge in that category and hurt his opponent with kicks.

8: Takedowns landed in 12 attempts by Valentina Shevchenko in a unanimous decision triumph over Alexa Grasso in the UFC 306 co-main event. That’s a career high in 17 UFC appearances for the two-time flyweight queen. Her previous best of seven takedowns landed came against Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 in April 2021.

16:04: Total control time enjoyed by Shevchenko in the 25-minute bout. By comparison, Grasso had just 49 seconds of control time.

45: Significant strikes landed by Shevchenko. Grasso, meanwhile, landed just 18 significant strikes over the course of five rounds. Shevchenko also held a 193-to-153 edge in total strikes landed.

.180: Significant striking accuracy for Grasso, who landed just 18 of 100 attempts against her defensively sound foe. Shevchenko was much more accurate, landing 45 of 80 significant strikes — a 56% success rate.

2: Official submission attempts — one in Round 2 and one in Round 4 — for Grasso. The Lobo Gym MMA standout did her best to threaten from her back throughout the fight, but Shevchenko was able to power out of danger repeatedly.

11: Consecutive championship bouts for Shevchenko, who is 9-1-1 in those contests. Her nine victories in title fights are tied with Matt Hughes for sixth most in UFC history.

106: Significant strikes landed by Diego Lopes in a unanimous decision triumph over Brian Ortega in a featured featherweight bout. That tops his previous career best by 57 significant strikes. Ortega, meanwhile, landed 63 significant strikes in defeat.

Related » Noche UFC 306 Round-by-Round Scoring​

4: Consecutive featherweight victories for Lopes, tying him with Steve Garcia for the fifth-longest active winning streak in the division. Lopes has won five straight UFC appearances overall.

92: Significant strikes landed by Esteban Ribovics in the third round of his split-decision triumph against Daniel Zellhuber. That’s the most ever landed in a single round by a lightweight in UFC history. Ribovics surpassed the previous record of 87, set by Nate Diaz in the third round of a UFC 141 clash against Donald Cerrone. Ribovics survived an early knockdown in the frame to outland his foe by 49 significant strikes in the period.

277: Combined significant strikes landed by Ribovics (156) and Zellhuber (121) in a bout that will go down as a “Fight of the Year” candidate for 2024.

159: Significant strikes landed by Norma Dumont in a unanimous decision triumph against Irene Aldana in a preliminary bantamweight clash. That figure checks in as the seventh most in UFC women’s bantamweight history. By comparison, Aldana landed 69 significant strikes in defeat. Dumont outlanded her foe 32 to 12 in Round 1, 58 to 25 in Round 2 and 69 to 32 in Round 3.

5: Consecutive victories for Dumont, the sixth-longest active winning streak among fighters in all UFC women’s divisions. The Brazilian’s winning streak has been compiled while competing at both bantamweight and featherweight in the Octagon.

3: Knockdowns landed by Ignacio Bahamondes in his last two fights, first-round stoppages of Manuel Torres and Christos Giagos. Bahamondes dropped Torres twice en the opening stanza en route to a technical knockout victory at the 4:02 mark of the period on Saturday night. ‘

25: Significant head strikes landed by Bahamondes in the abbreviated affair. By comparison, Torres landed nine. Overall, Bahamondes held a 31-to-20 edge in significant strikes landed in the lightweight bout.

1: Knockdown for Ketlen Souza against Yazmin Jauregui. The Brazilian floored her opponent in the opening stanza to set up the fight-ending rear-naked choke, which came at the 3:02 mark of Round 1. Jauregui has now suffered knockdowns in three of her five UFC appearances.

118: Significant strikes landed by Joshua Van in a unanimous decision triumph over Edgar Chairez at flyweight. That’s the third time Van has exceeded 100 significant strikes in his five-bout UFC tenure. By comparison, Chairez landed 79 significant strikes.

71: Significant strikes landed by Chairez during a wild Round 2, where he had his opponent reeling with punching combinations to the head and body. That’s the fourth-highest total for a single round in UFC flyweight history. Van also holds the No. 3 position with 77 significant strikes landed against Kevin Borjas in the second round of their UFC 295 matchup.