The MMA Hour host shared the promotion’s current plans for the next five pay-per-view events, and they’re pretty impressive.
Recent reports that Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria and Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili will headline UFC 306 at The Sphere in September are untrue, according to veteran mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist, Ariel Helwani.
Or, not completely true, to be more specific.
The Internet went crazy after UFC’s French-Canadian broadcast partner, TVA, announced the two title fights like they were a done deal for Noche UFC. But, on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani dismissed the claim and laid out what sources were telling him the second half of UFC’s 2024 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule would look like.
“There was never a plan to have those two fights headline The Sphere card,” Helwani said. “And as of right this second, that is not the plan … I think it was an honest, erroneous mistake. And unfortunately, it went viral and now everyone’s taking it as fact, as gospel.
“The plan was always the [Alexa] Grasso title defense,” he later clarified. “The plan has for some time has been ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley versus Merab [Dvalishvili]. Now, both fights aren’t official just yet. They haven’t been signed. But, that has been the plan.”
“And if they did go with that fight, then the other plan would be Ilia [Topuria] versus Max [Holloway], most likely on the October 5th Utah card, which hasn’t been officially announced yet,” Helwani added. “Also on that card, we suspect Julianna Pena versus Raquel Pennington. And then we obviously have Arman [Tsarukyan] and Islam [Makhachev]. Arman, he’s going to do the PSA. He’s said this, and he’s been verbally told that he is fighting for the belt at the end of October in Abu Dhabi.
“Then you’ve got the tentative plan being Jon Jones and Stipe [Miocic] in early November at Madison Square Garden,” he concluded. “And as of right now, the hope is Conor [McGregor] vs. [Michael] Chandler on that December — I think 14th — pay-per-view.”
That’s a pretty impressive run of events, provided injuries or other MMA misfortunes don’t ruin things. Let’s take a look at that all laid out:
- UFC 306: Sept. 14, 2024, at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada — Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, Alexa Grasso vs. TBA
- UFC 307: Oct. 5, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah — Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena
- UFC 308: Oct. 26, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2
- UFC 309: Nov. 9, 2024, at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. — Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
- UFC 310: Dec. 2024, TBD in Las Vegas, Nevada — Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
“All subject to change,” Helwani repeated. “But, that’s the plan as of now.”
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.