Merab Dvalishvili Defeats Sean O’Malley at UFC 306

Merab Dvalishvili is the new UFC Bantamweight Champion after defeating Sean O’ Malley in the main event of UFC 306.

Much of the pre-fight hype for the event at the Las Vegas Sphere centred around the massive $20m that UFC CEO Dana White invested in producing the show. It’s debatable whether the final product was worth that sum, but there’s no doubt that the main card was the most visually spectacular event in the history of combat sports.

Nowhere were the capabilities of the $2 billion venue better showcased than in the entrances for the main event, where O’Malley made his way to the Octagon in the shadow of a massive hologram of himself projected on to the wall of the arena.

Once the astounding visuals were done with though, there was the small matter of the UFC’s 135lb title to be decided – and it wasn’t O’Malley’s night. The challenger used his grappling to good effect to neutralise the striking threat posed by the ‘Suga Show’.

The pattern of the fight led to a bad-tempered contest, with the dominant Dvalishvili even mocking his foe by kissing him at the end of the second round.

While he showed moments of resistance, O’ Malley couldn’t overcome his opponent’s constant pressure – and lost a unanimous decision after five rounds.

More to follow…