These are the UFC 306 best bets, a betting preview for the upcoming UFC event hosted at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Headlining this fight card will be Sean O’Malley looking to defend his bantamweight title against the dangerous wrestler Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexa Grasso will face Valentina Shevchenko once again.
UFC 306 Best Bets
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds for UFC 306, looking for solid favorites and live underdogs. These are the best UFC 306 picks.
Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili
The main event will see “Suga” Sean O’Malley in his second title defense against the relentless wrestler Georgia’s Dvalishvili. O’Malley captured the title with an impressive knockout over the training partner of Dvalishvili then-champion Aljamain Sterling. Next, he defended his title, avenging a prior loss, in a dominant performance against Marlon “Chito” Vera.
“The Machine” is a fitting nickname for the Georgian-born wrestler Merab Dvalishvili. He is an aggressive wrestler who constantly pushes his opponents with takedowns and does not slow down over five rounds. With his wrestling acumen, he has cut through the stacked bantamweight division with impressive wins over Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo, Muay Thai strikers Petr Yan & Jose Aldo, and a win over contender Marlon Moraes, among others.
It’s easy to see why Merab Dvalishvili is the betting favorite going into this fight. Against Russia’s Yan, over five rounds, Dvalishvili attempted a whopping 49 takedowns with nearly 150 significant strikes landed, attempting an incredible 400 total strikes. In his three-round fight against Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler, and former UFC champion, Henry Cejudo “The Machine” out-wrestled his opponent and had more control time plus out-landed his opponents by a factor greater than two.
Despite being the champion Sean O’Malley will be an underdog going into this match. The ruthless wrestling of the Georgian will likely be too much for the US-born fighter. “Suga” has not had to face many wrestlers in his UFC career. Typically, to avoid takedowns, O’Malley keeps his distance and looks to land punches from range. He is a sniper he packs power over all five rounds. While Dvalishvili is a safe pick, O’Malley is a live underdog.
Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
The co-main event of UFC 306 will see Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko face off against each other for a third time. The two just coached TUF against one another. “Bullet” Shevchenko was the long-reigning division queen having defended her title in an impressive seven bouts.
In their first meeting, Mexico’s Grasso was able to capture the division title by countering Shevchenko’s spinning backkick with a takedown and submitting her. In their second meeting, the two athletes fought to a split draw so Grasso retained the title, during a Mexican Independence Day celebration.
Given how close and well-matched these two are, the betting odds are even going into this matchup. It is too close to call for a winner and the odds are not leaning any which way. It makes it too hard to pick. Grasso has a mixed style of boxing and grappling while Shevchenko is primarily a Muay Thai striker.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs Aori Qileng
At just the age of 19, Raul Rosas Jr. has put together an impressive 4-1 record thus far in the UFC. He is a hot prospect who has been booked against “The Mongolian Murderer” Aori Qileng who is 3-3 1 NC in the UFC. Overall in MMA, Qileng is a veteran with a 25-11 record.
Raul Rosas Jr. is still a developing fighter with sharp skills who is improving in between fights. Going into his UFC 306 matchup, Rosas Jr. is a betting favorite, and for good reason. The young athlete will likely earn a win and is a fairly safe bet.
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Manuel Torres
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Manuel Torres is one of the more interesting fights on UFC 306 once we look at the odds. “La Jaula” Bahamondes is a dangerous striker with some impressive head-kick knockout wins. “El Loco” Manuel Torres is on a six-fight win streak winning all of his fights by first-round stoppage, by KO/TKO, or submission.
Torres is a dangerous fighter who is in a rush to finish his opponents, nearly all of his wins have come by way of submission to KO/TKO. He will pose problems on the feet for Bahamondes, who is the more popular fighter. Bahamondes is the favorite going in but Torres might be a good pick if you’re looking for a live underdog.
UFC 306 is booked for September 14 live from Las Vegas.
