Mexican fan favorites Alexa Grasso and Diego Lopes will get their expected appearances at the high-profile Noche UFC event at the Sphere this Fall.
After its successful inaugural celebration of Mexican Independence Day last September, Las Vegas will once again play host to the UFC’s festivities for the occasion in 2024, this time at a grander venue.
Instead of the T-Mobile Arena, this year’s iteration of Noche UFC will play out inside the Sphere in the form of UFC 306. Ever since vowing to stage the first live sporting event there, UFC CEO Dana White has promised a first-of-a-kind event that will leave the fanbase in awe.
And as the September 14 date fast approaches, the UFC 306 lineup has taken shape.
White revealed the main card in a social media video this week, confirming that Sean O’Malley will defend his bantamweight title in the main event opposite Merab Dvalishvili.
There will also be championship stakes in the co-headliner, as Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko complete their trilogy a year on from their Noche UFC main event concluding in a controversial draw.
Two long-awaited title fights will take the biggest stage
@SugaSeanMMA vs @MerabDvalishvil @AlexaGrasso vs @BulletValentina 3 @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE on PPV from @SphereVegas pic.twitter.com/oLadZpvkTX
— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2024
Lopes, Grasso’s teammate and jiu-jitsu coach, also has a major assignment set for the Sphere. The rising featherweight was expected to feature on the card following his latest triumph at UFC 303 last month.
The Mexico-residing Brazilian got the better of Dan Ige in a same-day booking that came about following the late withdrawal of Brian Ortega due to illness.
For Noche UFC on Sept. 14, those two will attempt for their matchup to make it to the Octagon at the second time of trying, with the promotion opting to rebook Lopes against “T-City” despite talk of the former featherweight title challenger moving up in weight.
Joining those three fights on the main card will be two more Mexicans in Daniel Zellhuber and Ronaldo Rodriguez, who will share the cage with Esteban Ribovics and Ode’ Osbourne, respectively.
Meanwhile, you can check out the current fights expected to take place on the preliminary card below:
- Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
- Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
- Edgar Chairez vs. Kevin Borjas
- Yazmin Jáuregui vs. Ketlen Souza
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng
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