Introduction
UFC 306: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley — branded Noche UFC — took place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the first UFC event held at the Sphere, the world's largest spherical entertainment venue. The card was timed to coincide with Mexican Independence Day weekend. The card produced an estimated 1,000,000 pay-per-view buys — the highest UFC number since UFC 300 five months earlier.
Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O'Malley via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46), becoming the UFC bantamweight champion. Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the women's flyweight title by TKO of Alexa Grasso at 4:27 of round four in the co-main.
The Sphere's visual production — its 160,000 square-foot interior LED canvas displaying full-resolution Mexican-themed imagery — made UFC 306 the most visually spectacular combat sports event in history.
Contents
• Introduction
• Quick Stats
• The Build-Up
• Main Event
• Co-Main Event
• Full Results
• Bonuses & Awards
• Records & Milestones
• Legacy & Impact
• FAQ
• References
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
📍 Venue: The Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (first UFC event at this venue)
👥 Attendance: 18,000 (full Sphere capacity)
💰 Gate: $16.8 million (highest UFC gate since UFC 300)
📺 PPV Buys: ~1,000,000 (highest since UFC 300)
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA) — branded 'Noche UFC' (Mexican Independence Night)
🏆 Main Event: Sean O'Malley (c) vs. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC Bantamweight Championship (135 lbs)
✅ Result: Dvalishvili def. O'Malley via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) via TKO (punches) — R4, 4:27 — Women's Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
The Sphere — an MSG Sphere Entertainment venue that opened in Las Vegas in September 2023 — hosted its first UFC event 12 months after opening. The Noche UFC framing and the two title fights drove the $16.8 million gate.
Sean O'Malley had defended once (Vera 2 at UFC 299). Merab Dvalishvili had earned the title shot via his 30-27 shutout of Henry Cejudo at UFC 298. O'Malley was a -175 favourite; Dvalishvili was +140.
The co-main was the Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy — the most-discussed women's flyweight series of the modern era. Shevchenko was coming to take back the title she had held for six consecutive defenses before Grasso's upset at UFC 285.
Main Event: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili dismantled O'Malley's game from round one. His takedown volume — 11 takedowns across five rounds — denied O'Malley the space to establish his range-based striking.
Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46. Merab Dvalishvili was the UFC bantamweight champion. He has defended the title against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January 2025 (UD win).
Co-Main Event: Shevchenko vs. Grasso 3
Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the flyweight title in four rounds. Round four ended it at 4:27 — Shevchenko landed a clean right hand that wobbled Grasso at 3:45, pressed with sustained combination striking; Grasso's defensive coverage broke down at 4:20. Referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight at 4:27. Valentina Shevchenko was the UFC women's flyweight champion for the second time. Trilogy series: Grasso 1-2 (UFC 285 + Noche UFC 2023 draw) vs. Shevchenko 1 (UFC 306).
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley (c) — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) — Bantamweight Title
Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) — TKO (punches) — R4, 4:27 — Women's Flyweight Title
Diego Lopes def. Movsar Evloev — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Aori Qileng — KO (punches) — R1 — Bantamweight
Raul Rosas Jr. def. Ricky Turcios — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2 — Bantamweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Manuel Torres def. Ignacio Bahamondes — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:58 — Lightweight
Irene Aldana def. Norma Dumont — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Merab Dvalishvili — $50,000 for the dominant unanimous-decision win over Sean O'Malley to win the bantamweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Valentina Shevchenko — $50,000 for the fourth-round TKO of Alexa Grasso to reclaim the flyweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Manuel Torres — $50,000 for the first-round TKO of Ignacio Bahamondes.
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event at the Sphere — the most visually spectacular UFC broadcast in promotion history.
• 1 million estimated PPV buys — the first non-UFC 300 event to crack seven figures since Khabib-McGregor in 2018.
• Shevchenko-Grasso trilogy final ledger: Grasso 1 (UFC 285 submission upset), Draw (Noche UFC 2023), Shevchenko 1 (UFC 306 TKO).
• Dvalishvili's 11 takedowns in a championship fight — one of the highest volumes in UFC bantamweight title history.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 306 is remembered as the night two title changes happened at the most spectacular venue in UFC history. The Sphere's production was as widely discussed as the fights themselves.
For Merab Dvalishvili, the title win launched a bantamweight reign he has defended against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January 2025 (UD). For Valentina Shevchenko, the UFC 306 TKO win completed the trilogy comeback and re-established her as the dominant flyweight of the modern era.
FAQ
What is the Sphere?
The Sphere (MSG Sphere at The Venetian) is a 366-foot spherical entertainment venue that opened in Las Vegas in September 2023. It seats 18,000 and features the world's largest high-resolution LED display — a 160,000 square-foot interior screen that wraps the entire interior surface. UFC 306 was the first combat sports event held there.
How did Dvalishvili dismantle O'Malley?
Eleven takedowns across five rounds. Every time O'Malley attempted to establish his jab or set up his counter right, Dvalishvili shot for a takedown. The game plan was total and the execution was the most dominant wrestling performance in bantamweight title history.
How does UFC 306 compare to UFC 305?
UFC 306 drew approximately 1,000,000 PPV buys versus UFC 305 (550,000) four weeks earlier — a near-doubling driven by the Sphere venue, the Noche UFC branding, and the O'Malley star power.
References
UFC 306: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley — Wikipedia