Tag: Brian Ortega

7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event. Noche UFC… I mean UFC 306… I mean Riyadh Season Noche UFC — that’s far too much choice for my brain to handle — was no ordinary MMA card. It was the very first live sporting event to take place inside […]

Continue Reading 7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili at MMA News.

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event.

Noche UFC… I mean UFC 306… I mean Riyadh Season Noche UFC — that’s far too much choice for my brain to handle — was no ordinary MMA card. It was the very first live sporting event to take place inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere.

Dana White’s initial anger at the MGM for not alerting him to the PBC’s quick claim to the September 14 date to stage an always highly anticipated Canelo Álvarez outing birthed a new opportunity. The chance to put on an elaborate and expensive spectacle. The possibility to move beyond the arena setup we’re used to.

With great risk comes great reward. But with great superlatives — and boy did White and other UFC figures throw them around when describing what fans could expect — comes pressure to deliver.

Did they? More on that later.

Tasked with delivering in a different realm of entertainment were the fighters themselves, chief among them the four athletes entering the Octagon with gold on the line. The main event saw Sean O’Malley defend his belt against Merab Dvalishvili in a clash I’d have comfortably placed as the toughest to predict in 2024 in the lead-up. Oh, and the second toughest to predict came right beforehand as flyweight queen Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko completed their historic trilogy.

Elsewhere, the hottest rising name in the game Diego Lopes had his chance to climb into the featherweight top five against Brian Ortega, while Mexican standouts Daniel Zellhuber and Ronaldo Rodriguez looked to celebrate their nation’s independence in style.

But did all those names — and the $20 million Sphere show — come together to put on an exciting night of fights? Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from Noche UFC 306.

Negative – Not Even For The Sphere?!

Is getting value for money just not a thing in North America?

Best believe that if I’m spending thousands on cageside tickets to a UFC event (probably should have chosen a career other than MMA writer…), I’m not missing a punch, kick, eye poke, low blow, stance switch or damn syllable that comes out of Bruce Buffer’s mouth.

It seems my fellow Europeans largely feel the same. It is rare to see a super empty venue upon the start of any preliminary card on this side of the pond. In the US, however, it seems to be the opposite. Countless T-Mobile Arena-held PPVs have shown that even the top lineups and spectacles don’t draw those affluent enough for the top seats to the venue on time.

But for the very first live sporting event at the Sphere, that was bound to change. Right? RIGHT?! Miraculously, no. We had the usual selection of absent attendees.

Is it really too much to ask for fighting events to be watched by people who actually like and are there for fighting? Can we not have some sort of 20-question quiz to weed out the fakes? Perhaps that would have given the opening fight of Noche UFC 306 less of an Apex feel to it.

Some empty seats probably didn’t warrant a full negative here, I admit. But it pissed me off and, well, this is my editorial, so that’s that.

Positive – A Mexican Backfist

The talk of Las Vegas for the past week has been the famed Mexican fighting spirit and toughness. We didn’t get a strong display of that in fight one at Noche UFC 306, but boy did we in the second.

Mexicali’s Edgar Cháirez may not have had many bouts in the UFC, but he’s done his nation proud plenty of times. From going toe-to-toe with the undefeated Tatsuro Taira in defeat on just two weeks’ notice to a first-round triangle choke submission against Daniel Lacerda, “Puro Chicali’s” Octagon fights (no contest aside) haven’t been short on highlights.

Well, we can add the best yet to that after Saturday night. In fact, we can add one of the best highlights of 2024 to the end-of-year reels.

The Mexican produced that in his clash with Joshua Van inside the Sphere. Cháirez found himself in all sorts of trouble midway through round two when he was badly hurt to the liver and the victim of an absolute onslaught of hooks and uppecuts.

As he turned his back against the cage, Mark Smith looked a second away from stepping in. What happened next defied any and all expectation, as “Puro Chicali” uncorked a spinning backfist to rock Van and turn the tables.

Unfortunately for Cháirez, that moment of success wasn’t enough to carry him to victory on the scorecards. But when it comes to the “fight like a Mexican” saying, he fulfilled that and then some to bring some momentum back to the Sphere show alongside an impressive Van.

Positive – Club & Sub

We completed the trifecta of snoozefest, barnburner, and finish in the opening three fights of the night at Noche UFC 306. And when it comes to the first stoppage inside the Sphere, it was certainly worth the brief wait.

Ketlen Souza continued the trend set by Cháirez and Van by delivering utter violence. Poor Yazmin Jauregui essentially fell to both a knockout and a submission, first being flattened after falling on the much worse side of an exchange of left hooks.

As the Mexican barely woke back up and was probably filled with confusion about the spherical building she found herself in, her Brazilian counterpart met her on the ground, locked in a rear-naked choke, and rendered her unconscious again.

As far as the first finish to take place inside the Sphere, Souza couldn’t have delivered much better.

Now, a brief note on the release.

Souza definitely held on for an extra second, and that is not good to see. We’ve certainly seen more egregious instances of athletes not releasing submissions, but that doesn’t make the Brazilian’s decision to keep choking an unconscious opponent for longer than required any less disappointing.

Positive – A Mexican Warrior

This is the second positive that focuses on a losing Mexican. While a number of results went against the nation on Saturday’s preliminary card, the likes of Cháirez and Irene Aldana did not go down without a fight.

This could easily be a negative purely because of what a rough break it was for Aldana to be cut so badly from an inadvertent clash of heads in round two of her collision with Norma Dumont.

When I say worst cut in UFC history…

Off the top of my head, it’s certainly up there. But the former title challenger was not deterred, continuing her immense forward pressure through punches coming back her way that no doubt turned he cut from a bad blemish to a gaping wound in the final frame. Aldana’s commitment to throwing the kitchen sink in pursuit of a finish even saw her using her shirt as a blood towel in-between charges forward.

Aldana may not have gotten the result she wanted, but you won’t see many displays of toughness like that. And for that to come after a Fight of the Year contender in 2023, the Mexican is on a bloody run of brutality.

Of course, this fight wouldn’t have been a positive overall without the input of Norma Dumont, who showed her talents fighting off the back foot to actually outbox a boxing specialist in Aldana.

Her performance was impressive, and provided that her weight issues are a thing of the past, the Brazilian is well and truly in title contention at 135 pounds.

Positive – THAT’S How You Open

Raul Rosas Jr. did not really get the memo on what was required to enter bonus contention at the Sphere — or how to open the card at such a special event. Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne did.

Saturday’s prelims were strong aside from the dud of a first bout, which was quick to kill the immediate momentum that existed thanks to the intrigue surrounding the Sphere. But when it came to the PPV opener, Rodriguez and Osbourne put on a flyweight firecracker (yes alliteration was taught in junior school, and no, I won’t abandon it as I near 26) that only added to the occasion after the opening two chapters of “For Mexico, For All Time.”

Rodriguez was almost left with egg on his face after his confident walkout and in-cage dancing were quickly followed by a vicious right hand by “The Jamaican Sensation” that appeared set to see the Mexican finished in one round.

Somehow, someway, Rodriguez survived. And more than that, he went about delivering offense of his own en route to taking rounds two and three for the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Speaking of the scorecards…

Negative – Consistency, Where Art Thou?

I really do hate having to include judging in the negative column because I’d like to avoid re-enforcing people’s often warped view of the scoring criteria and what constitutes a ‘robbery’.

But this can’t be ignored.

Two judges scored the main card opener 29-27 for Rodriguez, granting him a 10-8 in round two. The idea that the Mexican did enough for that and Osbourne didn’t in the first stanza is ludicrous.

The culprits? No prizes for correctly guessing Adalaide Byrd, who evidently has the job security of a worker walking in on their boss cheating on his wife with his assistant to still be judging at the highest level. She joined Ron McCarthy in turning in a real puzzler.

It would have been nice to emerge from such an incredible fight without a judging controversy. But nice things are difficult to come by in MMA.

Positive – The Fourth FOTN Of The Night

Whether down to the magnitude of the event — Sphere debut, Mexican Independence Day celebration, and all that jazz — or simply the fighters put on the lineup by the UFC, the sheer number of matchups that delivered fireworks on Saturday night was obscene.

The battle to secure Fight of the Night honors was already three contenders deep when Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics entered the Octagon. They stole it in emphatic fashion and have likely left themselves as the current leaders in the race for 2024’s Fight of the Year.

The star of the show was round three, which began with the Mexican dropping his Argentine foe with a brutal elbow, transitioned to Ribovics pursuing a finish after putting Zellhuber on wobbly legs, and ended with both men trading bombs to the horn.

The fight was utter insanity and, incredibly, once again marked an instance of a Mexican displaying immense toughness and resolve but ultimately falling short when it came to the decision.

Positive – Lopes Lands In The Top Five

First and foremost, is there a better duo than Bruce Buffer and the name Diego? Secondly, how good is the Diego he was introducing at Noche UFC 306?

Diego Lopes 30-26’d a former two-time title challenger and longtime top-five featherweight contender in Brian Ortega to ascend from the lower steps of the rankings to a strong position in the title picture. That’s a sentence I would not have expected to be writing 16 months ago when the Mexico-residing Brazilian stepped in on late notice to share the cage with the undefeated Movsar Evloev.

But since then, Lopes has continued to impress more and more with each outing. And after doing so with his game attitude against same-day opponent Dan Ige in late June, the up-and-comer let his incredible skills do the talking inside the Sphere, first by dropping “T-City” early and then by dominating the remainder of the contest.

Does Lopes beat champion Ilia Topuria or UFC 308 challenger Max Holloway? Anything can happen, but I don’t think so. But will he give us an entertaining title fight against either man? Absolutely.

Negative – Shutout

I can’t remember the last time a fight I found impossible to predict turned out to be completely one-sided. After two competitive fights in 2023, Alexa Grasso simply had nothing for Valentina Shevchenko at Noche UFC 306.

The champion may well have been fortunate to escape last year’s Mexican Independence Day celebration with the title still in her possession, but that fight was the furthest thing from the shutout “Bullet” pitched inside the Sphere.

The main negative here is Grasso’s performance, which peaked at some submission attempts that were never really close to putting Shevchenko in too much trouble. And when it came to altering the course of the fight, not much of use came out of the Mexican’s corner, who appeared resigned to simply urging the champ to strike as if she was choosing for the bout to hit the mat.

Shevchenko’s performance was smart and unwavering, and does not contribute to this negative. But after a thrilling main card up to that point — and the expectation of a highly competitive clash — the first women’s trilogy in UFC history was a complete disappointment.

Negative – Welcome To The Sugar Snoozer

What a horrendous way for such an enthralling show and largely great card to end.

After Shevchenko controlled Grasso en route to a lackluster five-round decision, fireworks were also absent in a bizarre main event that was similarly odd to its title predecessor but for different reasons.

First and foremost were some strange antics from Merab Dvalishvili, who spent the opening seconds screaming at Sean O’Malley’s corner, where Tim Welch was evidently up to his old tricks again. Referee Herb Dean warned him for “excessive coaching.” Does ‘attempting to trick the opposition fighter’ really fall into that bracket? Also, what could have come from said warning should it have been ignored? Are we talking a WWE-style banishment to the back for the coach?

Speaking of Herb…

What on Earth was going through his head toward the end? The veteran official was throwing around some misplaced “keep working” comments during grappling exchanges but it was the final seconds when he went utterly mad, urging the pair to “work” as Dvalishvili circled to protect his guaranteed title win. When did referees’ job description include ‘try to force athletes into a Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje ending’?

Dvalishvili deserves credit for an impressive display of dominance. Wow is he relentless, and wow is his cardio legendary. But when the main talking points from a pay-per-view main event don’t include the fight itself, it has to go into the negative column.

Positive – The Sphere

It would be remiss of me not to conclude this by commenting on what was, let’s be honest, the main show.

It’s important to note the sheer number of prominent fans and pundits online who decided the Sphere experiment was a failure within five minutes of the prelims. Not only had we been told to expect the big stuff during the main card, but did they really expect one of the card’s main drawing points to be revealed prior to the pay-per-view? For free?!

I have my fair share of criticism for the UFC, but anyone who gave their review of the Sphere’s use on Saturday night during the opening fights was simply always going to be negative about the experience whatever they witnessed.

Sure, things started off slowly, but the increasing spectacle built anticipation heading into the PPV main card, and then things well and truly picked up. While I had little doubt that things would be impressive in-person, I was skeptical about the extent to which the experience would translate to television.

How did it translate? Well, very well.

Even on a desktop screen, the 90-second films had the kind of trippy effect I imagine those in attendance felt (amplified, of course). And the ‘worlds’ that the arena transformed into for each fight were spectacular. The final film wasn’t the strongest and felt like a slightly anticlimactic end, but that by no means takes away from the overall show.

And a word on the ring girls, whose attire matched each chapter of the main card film and provided a fantastic aesthetic. All eyes were on the Sphere, but small details like the selection of ring girls and their elaborate clothing made this even feel even grander.

Now, if you showed me the event without any knowledge of the cost that White and co. have long discussed and told me what we saw was the result of $20 million investment, I’d be shocked. But I admit to being out of the loop when it comes to the price of technology like this, and MMA media doesn’t pay well enough for me to have any grasp of what would be worth $20 million.

The other point to highlight is the UFC CEO’s pre-event remarks, which honestly set the bar to an unattainable level. The event was unbelievable, and I was in awe of the visuals in a way I never have been before when watching a sporting event. In that regard, mission accomplished for the UFC.

But I can’t help feeling the overall consensus would have been stronger had White not spent months on a tour of superlatives that only widened the chance for some detractors to feel underwhelmed.

Continue Reading 7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili at MMA News.

Diego Lopes batters Brian Ortega in dominant decision win – Noche UFC Highlights

Diego Lopes batters Brian Ortega in dominant decision win - Noche UFC HighlightsSurging featherweight contender, Diego Lopes has chalked up the biggest victory of his short Octagon tenure so far, bloodying…

Diego Lopes batters Brian Ortega in dominant decision win - Noche UFC Highlights

Surging featherweight contender, Diego Lopes has chalked up the biggest victory of his short Octagon tenure so far, bloodying and battering former title challenger, Brian Ortega in a one-sided unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) win on the main card of Noche UFC at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Lopes, who entered tonight’s rescheduled pairing against Ortega as the current number twelve ranked divisional challenger, is likely to land himself within the weight classes top-3 upon the release of the update next week — following tonight’s dominant victory over the course of three rounds.

lopes ortega

Showing off his stunning striking ability on the feet early in the first round to knockdown multiple-time title challenger, Ortega at the Sphere, Lopes would then turn in another knockdown in the dying moments of the final frame — rounding out an impressive display.

ortega

And landing his fifth straight win, Lopes is sure to now have a close eye on next month’s title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

diego lopes 4

Below, catch the highlights from Diego Lopes’ decision win at Noche UFC

Aljamain Sterling Eyes Winner Of Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes If He Beats Movsar Evloev At UFC 307

Aljamain Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times before moving up to featherweight. His TKO loss to Sean O’Malley has helped teammate and friend Merab Dvalishvili to get his well-deserved title shot, though. Sterling has no plans to move down to bantamweight despite his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar getting a mixed response in […]

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Eyes Winner Of Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes If He Beats Movsar Evloev At UFC 307 at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times before moving up to featherweight. His TKO loss to Sean O’Malley has helped teammate and friend Merab Dvalishvili to get his well-deserved title shot, though.

Sterling has no plans to move down to bantamweight despite his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar getting a mixed response in MMA circles. With eight takedowns and almost 11 minutes of control time, he completely shut down the striker, but the bout lacked excitement.

Aljo is scheduled to fight Movsar Evloev at UFC 307, and he’s already laid down the plan to reach featherweight gold in the promotion after his next fight…

Aljamain Sterling Discusses His Future In The UFC Featherweight Division If He Wins Against Movsar Evloev

Sterling was interviewed on the Helen Yee Sports YouTube channel recently. After backing his training partner to win the title at UFC 306, the former UFC bantamweight champ opened up about his plans to reach another division’s top.

“Funk Master” questioned the UFC ranking Arnold Allen over Evloev even though his upcoming opponent beat Allen via unanimous decision earlier this year. Regardless, his aim is to enter the top 5 ranking with a solid win over Evloev and challenge the winner of Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes in a title eliminator.

“I beat a guy like that, I think that puts me in a top-five conversation and then maybe the winner of Diego Lopes vs. Ortega. I fight that guy and then I fight for a world title.”

If everything goes according to this plan, Sterling can very well look forward to fighting for the UFC featherweight champion after a couple of fights. He acknowledged that Evloev is a high-level grappler and his cardio could be a problem in their bout.

“It’s a tough fight. Two high-level grapplers and, I think I just edge him out in every department. The only thing, that if I’m being fair, the only thing that Movsar might have on me that he’s been able to show of late that I haven’t shown is the cardio. Because he can go at that pace the whole time, kind of, reminds of a Merab and I’m not ignorant to that. I can break things down and not be biased, but I know we’ll be ready to go 15 minutes.”

“Funk Master” also understands that he has to get a finish in his next fight to get more fans supporting his rise to the title. As a result, we might see some urgency to get a submission from Sterling as soon as the fight begins.

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Eyes Winner Of Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes If He Beats Movsar Evloev At UFC 307 at MMA News.

Noche UFC 306 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, Grasso vs. Shevchenko, & More

Noche UFC (UFC 306) is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for Saturday’s lineup. The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, September 14, at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at […]

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, Grasso vs. Shevchenko, & More at MMA News.

Noche UFC (UFC 306) is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for Saturday’s lineup.

The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, September 14, at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT.

Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley, who is tasked with getting the better of the surging Merab Dvalishvili if he’s to record a second successful title defense and stall the Georgian’s bid to exact revenge for his teammate Aljamain Sterling’s loss to “Sugar” last year.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see Alexa Grasso making a defense of her flyweight gold at the Mexican Independence Day celebration for the second straight year. After her Noche UFC headline rematch with Valentina Shevchenko ended in a draw in 2023, the pair will complete their trilogy inside the Sphere after coaching opposite one another on this year’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter.

Also set to make the walk on Saturday night will be the likes of featherweight fan favorite Diego Lopes, former 135-pound title challenger Irene Aldana, and highly touted youngster Raul Rosas Jr.

Ahead of the event, you can get some help from the group of experts at MMA News by checking out their predictions for the Noche UFC 306 main card here.

Noche UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili Betting Odds

Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 306 (as of 9/13), courtesy of DraftKings.

Main Card:

  • Sean O’Malley (-125) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (+105)
  • Alexa Grasso (-130) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (+110)
  • Brian Ortega (+164) vs. Diego Lopes (-198)
  • Daniel Zellhuber (-230) vs. Esteban Ribovics (+190)
  • Ronaldo Rodriguez (-155) vs. Ode’ Osbourne (+130)

Preliminary Card:

  • Irena Aldana (-115) vs. Norma Dumont (-105)
  • Manuel Torres (-135) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (+114)
  • Yazmin Jauregui (-520) vs. Ketlen Souza (+390)
  • Edgar Cháirez (+195) vs. Joshua Van (-238)
  • Raul Rosas Jr. (-1000) vs. Aoriqileng (+650)

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, Grasso vs. Shevchenko, & More at MMA News.

Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Press Conference Highlights & Faceoffs

We’re deep into Noche UFC (UFC 306) fight week, meaning it was recently time for the fighters set to be in action on September 14 to take to the stage and answer some questions. The MMA leader’s latest numbered event takes place at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the main attraction of the […]

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Press Conference Highlights & Faceoffs at MMA News.

We’re deep into Noche UFC (UFC 306) fight week, meaning it was recently time for the fighters set to be in action on September 14 to take to the stage and answer some questions.

The MMA leader’s latest numbered event takes place at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the main attraction of the Mexican Independence Day celebration will see UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley put his belt on the line against Merab Dvalishvili.

Setting the stage for the headliners will be another title fight, with reigning flyweight queen Alexa Grasso looking to record a second victory over the great Valentina Shevchenko in their trilogy, which comes after their rematch ended in a draw at last year’s inaugural Noche UFC event.

Also on pay-per-view will be #12-ranked featherweight Diego Lopes, who will shoot for the top five in a rearranged showdown with former two-time title challenger Brian Ortega.

As is customary during major fight weeks, the athletes took to the stage on Thursday for the pre-fight press conference. The Noche UFC edition saw every fighter set to make the walk inside the Sphere in two days’ time with mic in hand.

Check out a replay of the presser below via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, followed by all the highlights and faceoffs.

Noche UFC 306 Pre-Fight Press Conference Stream

Noche UFC 306 Press Conference Highlights

Noche UFC 306 Press Conference Faceoffs

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Press Conference Highlights & Faceoffs at MMA News.

Diego Lopes “Ready for war” against Brian Ortega at UFC 306 then Corners Alexa Grasso

Diego Lopes UFC 306The Brazilian-Mexican Diego Lopes will look to get a quick finish in his featherweight bout against Brian Ortega, then…

Diego Lopes UFC 306

The Brazilian-Mexican Diego Lopes will look to get a quick finish in his featherweight bout against Brian Ortega, then he will run back and corner Alexa Grasso in her title fight against Valentina Shevchenko.

Diego Lopes Wants to Finish Brian Ortega

‘T-City’ Brian Ortega is a top-ranked fighter who is a perpetual contender in the competitive featherweight division. He has an impressive snap down on submissions and packs power in his hands. Diego Lopes is a scrappy fighter who is always in exciting bouts and is hungry to climb the featherweight rankings. A win over Ortega very well put him in the conversation for fighting for the featherweight UFC title.

It is a massive opportunity at UFC 306 for Diego Lopes. He will look to leave a memory for fans who watch the event at The Sphere in Las Vegas as part of the Noche UFC Mexican celebration.

Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 306, Diego Lopes explained:

“I know Brian is a great fighter. I’m ready for whatever comes up, but the idea is to run back to the locker room, get changed and go back to corner Alexa.“

Absolutely we do talk about this. I am ready for a war. I’m ready to go full out, and we do debate this as a team and make decisions according to whatever happens, but yeah we spoke about it. We have a strategy for it.

“It’s not every day that you hear that. I’m going to fight the No. 3 ranked guy in the division, so it’s just great to hear that kind of compliment and that really sets me up in a better position to come up strong.” [Ht MMAJunkie]

Diego Lopes is set to fight Brian Ortega, and then the next bout of the evening will be Alexa Grasso facing Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event. The UFC event will be headlined by a bantamweight title match between ‘Sugar‘ Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.

lopes ige 3
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 29: (L-R) Dan Ige is punched by Diego Lopes of Brazil in a 165-pound catchweight fight during the UFC 303 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)