Tag: UFC 306

Aljamain Sterling On Narrative That O’Malley Looked ‘Flat’: ‘Like Conor McGregor Against Khabib…’

After losing the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 306 on Saturday night, some questioned whether Sean O’Malley had an off night. Dana White in his post-fight press conference said that in his opinion, “Suga” didn’t look himself but this has since been dispelled by O’Malley himself. The former champ said that he […]

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling On Narrative That O’Malley Looked ‘Flat’: ‘Like Conor McGregor Against Khabib…’ at MMA News.

After losing the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 306 on Saturday night, some questioned whether Sean O’Malley had an off night.

Dana White in his post-fight press conference said that in his opinion, “Suga” didn’t look himself but this has since been dispelled by O’Malley himself.

The former champ said that he was coming into the fight feeling great and there were glimpses of that in the fight.

Despite it feeling fairly one-sided to a lot of people, O’Malley won two rounds on two of the scorecards meaning that he wasn’t that far away from retaining the belt via split decision.

A former opponent of his disagrees with the idea that the main event played out how it did due to one man not firing, rather than Merab Dvalishvili being incredibly effective.

Aljamain Sterling Disputes The Idea That Sean O’Malley Looked Off At UFC 306

In his recap of UFC 306, Aljamain Sterling disagreed that O’Malley wasn’t firing on all cylinders at the Sphere this past weekend.

The former bantamweight champion, who was in Dvalishvili’s corner, pointed to how “Suga” started the fight looking great, saying that this only changed once the challenger started to have success.

Not to mention the third round, which he won on two scorecards, and the final round where he hurt his opponent with a body kick and tried to find the finish in the closing moments.

Having faced O’Malley back at UFC 292, Sterling helped Dvalishvili prepare for him by replicating his style.

When reflecting on the fight, he said that the defending champion came out exactly how they expected him to which meant they were able to execute their game plan.

“I give credit where due, he was well prepared to say he looked flat makes no sense. The opening bell when he’s coming out with those faints, those hip twitches that he does so well where he’s shaking off to the side, shaking off to the other side and then looking for those long strikes. He came out exactly like Conor McGregor did against Khabib. Now I gave Merab that same exact look, coming out with the fingers, long, trying to hit the feints and trying to go to the body, trying to go up top.”

Read also: Demetrious Johnson Highlights ‘X-Factor’ That Could Make A Difference In Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling On Narrative That O’Malley Looked ‘Flat’: ‘Like Conor McGregor Against Khabib…’ at MMA News.

‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306

In the co-main event of UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso in their third meeting. The former champ was able to execute a game plan that saw her strike from distance before securing takedowns and dominating the fight with her wrestling, making for an impressive display but a slow […]

Continue Reading ‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306 at MMA News.

In the co-main event of UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso in their third meeting.

The former champ was able to execute a game plan that saw her strike from distance before securing takedowns and dominating the fight with her wrestling, making for an impressive display but a slow fight.

Grasso was able to threaten with several submission attempts but none of them were close enough to really sway any of the rounds in her favor as she was beaten 50-45 across all three scorecards.

Despite them now being 1-1-1 in their trilogy of fights, this was by far the most one-sided of their encounters and with many believing that Shevchenko deserved to win the rematch, there isn’t likely to be one more fight between them as of right now.

MMA Fans React To The Conclusion Of Alexa Grasso & Valentina Shevchenko’s Trilogy

The first-ever trilogy of fights between two women in the UFC has come to an end with Shevchenko once again reigning at the top of the flyweight division.

MMA fans and fellow fighters reacted to the dominant grappling display from the “Bullet” inside the Sphere.

Read also: Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Live Results & Highlights

Continue Reading ‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306 at MMA News.

‘This Dude Is Going To Be One Of The Greats’ – Islam Makhachev, Aljamain Sterling & Other UFC Fighters React To Diego Lopes’ Dominant Win Over Brian Ortega At UFC 306

Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now? In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC […]

Continue Reading ‘This Dude Is Going To Be One Of The Greats’ – Islam Makhachev, Aljamain Sterling & Other UFC Fighters React To Diego Lopes’ Dominant Win Over Brian Ortega At UFC 306 at MMA News.

Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now?

In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC 306.

Lopes managed to drop Ortega in the fight’s opening minute, but Ortega managed to survive a follow-up flurry from the rising featherweight contender.

The former featherweight title challenger was rocked again during the second round, with Lopes landing a head kick before knocking him down with a vicious leg kick. That combined with a series of leg kicks throughout the fight appeared to do damage and leave a welt on one of Ortega’s legs.

Lopes rocked Ortega hard with a combination in the third round, dropping him once more, though Ortega was able to get up and throw down until the final horn.

Diego Lopes Puts On Dominant Display In Victory Over Former Title Challenger Brian Ortega

Lopes earned respect in his UFC debut, a short-notice loss to Movsar Evolev at UFC 288, and he’s now won five straight since.

Ortega, meanwhile, has now lost three of his last four, including an unsuccessful challenge of Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 266 in September 2021.

Continue Reading ‘This Dude Is Going To Be One Of The Greats’ – Islam Makhachev, Aljamain Sterling & Other UFC Fighters React To Diego Lopes’ Dominant Win Over Brian Ortega At UFC 306 at MMA News.

Fans React As Joshua Van & Edgar Chairez Put On Early FOTN Contender At Noche UFC 306

Joshua Van came out on top in an early fight of the night contender against Edgar Chairez at UFC 306. After Raul Rosas Jnr. got proceedings underway inside the Sphere with a largely uneventful performance, the flyweights in the second fight of the night turned the heat up. The second round in particular produced one […]

Continue Reading Fans React As Joshua Van & Edgar Chairez Put On Early FOTN Contender At Noche UFC 306 at MMA News.

Joshua Van came out on top in an early fight of the night contender against Edgar Chairez at UFC 306.

After Raul Rosas Jnr. got proceedings underway inside the Sphere with a largely uneventful performance, the flyweights in the second fight of the night turned the heat up.

The second round in particular produced one of the best back-and-forth battles of the year, where both men could have been finished at different points.

Ultimately, Van did enough to seal the victory after stepping in late notice, taking the second and third rounds to win 29-28 across all three scorecards.

MMA Fans React To Flyweight Barnburner Between Joshua Van & Edgar Chairez

Just like that, Noche UFC feels like it is properly underway after Van and Chairez helped to set the tone for the rest of the evening.

MMA fans reacted on social media to a fantastic clash at 125 pounds which featured some vintage Mexican fighting spirit.

Read also: Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Live Results & Highlights

Continue Reading Fans React As Joshua Van & Edgar Chairez Put On Early FOTN Contender At Noche UFC 306 at MMA News.

Conor McGregor’s Coach Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Going To Be In A Lot Of Trouble…’

The main event of UFC 306 that goes down on Saturday night inside the Sphere has proven to be a tough one to call for many people. In the champion Sean O’Malley, you have an incredibly dangerous striker who is always calm under pressure and reads fights incredible well. Merab Dvalishvili, meanwhile, is a perfect […]

Continue Reading Conor McGregor’s Coach Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Going To Be In A Lot Of Trouble…’ at MMA News.

The main event of UFC 306 that goes down on Saturday night inside the Sphere has proven to be a tough one to call for many people.

In the champion Sean O’Malley, you have an incredibly dangerous striker who is always calm under pressure and reads fights incredible well. Merab Dvalishvili, meanwhile, is a perfect counter part to that and swaps aesthetically pleasing offense for an unbreakable will and never-ending gas tank, which he uses to overwhelm opponents from bell to bell.

In many ways, the two men are the perfect counter to one another and that provides the question: who will be able to implement their specific skillset the best?

This clash of styles that goes back to the earliest days of mixed martial arts is something that John Kavanagh referenced when weighing in with his thoughts.

John Kavanagh Breaks Down UFC 306 Main Event, Picks His Winner

Speaking to Lucky Block in a recent interview, the head coach of Conor McGregor described the upcoming bantamweight title fight as a “throwback.”

Both O’Malley and Dvalishvili are capable in all areas but there’s no denying where they are at their best, which just so happens to be their opponent’s kryptonite in this fight.

“I’m really, I’m really looking forward to that. In MMA today it’s usually two guys that are quite well skilled everywhere. And this one I feel is a bit of a throwback to when you’ve somebody very skilled in striking versus somebody very skilled in grappling, so the classic striker versus grappler. If Merab is unable to close that distance, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble. If Merab can close that distance and start chaining his takedowns together, he’s got the most incredible gas tank. He just goes and goes and goes. If he’s able to get attached, Sean’s in a lot of trouble. So it’s a very interesting fight for me as a fan and as a coach.”

Kavanagh followed up his thoughts on the matchup by giving his prediction for the fight, leaning toward the belt staying in O’Malley’s possession thanks to his lethal striking.

“If you were to put a gun to my head for a prediction, I do think Sean will catch him. He’s such a sharp shooter. He’s got fantastic striking and I could see him landing some of those big stray shots. He has a win over Merab’s teammate Aljamain Sterling so I’m sure that Aljamain is helping out Merab a lot in the preparation for this but Sean is on a real run at the moment and I could just see him getting that finish.”

Continue Reading Conor McGregor’s Coach Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Going To Be In A Lot Of Trouble…’ at MMA News.

Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream

Noche UFC 306 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins! The upcoming pay-per-view event at the Sphere in Las Vegas provides a chance for UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. After unseating Aljamain […]

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream at MMA News.

Noche UFC 306 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins!

The upcoming pay-per-view event at the Sphere in Las Vegas provides a chance for UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

After unseating Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and withstanding a challenge from Marlon Vera in Miami this past March, “Sugar” is next tasked with stalling the championship ambitions of Merab Dvalishvili to continue his reign atop the 135-pound mountain.

The celebration of Mexican Independence Day will also see the nation’s own champion in action, with Alexa Grasso set to defend her flyweight gold in a trilogy contest opposite Valentina Shevchenko.

Elsewhere on the UFC 306 card, the surging Diego Lopes will look to ascend into the top five in a rearranged showdown with Brian Ortega, while Mexican prospects Ronaldo Rodriguez and Daniel Zellhuber also have the chance to make statements on a major stage.

Ahead of the event, all 20 fighters successfully made weight. With that, every fight has remained intact, and all that remains on Friday night is for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 306 ceremonial weigh-ins!

Check out a live stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, commencing at 10 p.m. ET.

Noche UFC 306 Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream at MMA News.