UFC 306

''UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili'' (branded as ''Riyadh Season Noche UFC'' for sponsorship reasons) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on September 14, 2024, at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.

Background

This event will mark the promotion's second "Noche UFC" edition celebrating Mexican independence day after holding UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 the year prior. It will also be the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding it as " Riyadh Season Noche UFC", after a partnership with Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

UFC CEO Dana White stated that the event will tell the history of combat in Mexico from the past to the future. UFC chief content officer Craig Borsasi stated that six film clips about Mexico's contribution to combat sports will be about 90 seconds long, that they will be played between bouts on the main card and that they were produced by film director Carlos López Estrada. Borsasi also noted that each bout will take place in a different world with images on the LED screens inside the arena. White said that the budget for the production of the one-time only event has exceeded $20 million compared to the approximate $2 million that is used at regular pay-per-view events.

A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili is expected to headline the event.

A UFC Women's Flyweight Championship trilogy bout between current champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko is expected to take place at the event. The pairing first met at UFC 285 in March 2023, where Grasso won the title by fourth round submission upset. Their second meeting took place at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 in September 2023, which the bout ended by split draw. The pairing previously coached on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko against each other. Manon Fiorot is expected to serve as backup and potential replacement for this fight.

A featherweight bout between former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes is expected to take place at the event. The pair was previously expected to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega withdrew just hours before the bout due to illness.

A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira was scheduled for this event. However, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Pereira vs. Hernandez to serve as the main event.

A flyweight bout between Édgar Cháirez and Kevin Borjas was scheduled for this event. However, Borjas withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Joshua Van.

Fight card

Announced bouts

*Flyweight bout: Édgar Cháirez vs. Joshua Van

See also

*2024 in UFC
*List of current UFC fighters
*List of UFC events

References

{{2024 in mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events
2024 in UFC
September 2024 sports events in the United States
2024 in sports in Nevada
Ultimate Fighting Championship events in Paradise, Nevada