The UFC made history in Las Vegas tonight by putting on the first ever live sporting event in Sphere. And while the stunning venue was probably the biggest story of the night, there were also some very memorable fights and a couple of impressive championship performances tonight.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 306 preview.
Prelim Highlights
Josh Van and Edgar Chairez put on a show in just the second bout of the night. Chairez used his length in the early going and landed some big kicks to the lead leg of Van, seemingly hurting him pretty badly. Van survived the round though and then in the second he landed some big punches to the body, buckling Chairez. Van pounced and began to pour it on. It looked like he was seconds away from a finish when Chairez landed a miracle spinning backfist that stunned Van. The two continued to stand in the pocket and trade strikes in what was one of the most wild rounds of recent memory. In the third, Van utilized some grappling, coupling that with his clear cardio advantage to find himself in top position for most of the final round, en route to a decision win. It was a very impressive comeback victory for Van.
Ketlen Souza put forth a very strong performance against the favored Yazmin Juaregui. It was clear Souza had the power advantage, but Juaregui was the much more disciplined fighter in the early going, landing some strong combinations. It didn’t take long though for Souza to land one of her power punches though and she wound up on Juaregui’s back. Unwilling to tap out, Juaregui went to sleep and Souza was awarded an impressive submission victory.
In one of the most exciting matchups on the whole card, Ignacio Bahamondes scored a highlight reel knockout against Manuel Torres. Both of these guys have been known to finish opponents early, but Bahamondes was the much more patient fighter and put together clean shots while Torres repeatedly rushed in. Torres certainly landed some big punches of his own, but the turning point came when Bahamondes stepped away from a blitz and landed a beautiful counter right hand that dropped Torres. While Bahamondes wasn’t able to put the fight away in that exchange, Torres rushed in again moments later and was met with the same result. Bahamondes dropped him for a second time and this time he was able to secure the first round finish. It should be a very big matchup for Bahamondes his next time out after this performance.
Main Card Highlights
Before anyone even stepped into the octagon during the pay-per-view, the Sphere amazed and impressed those in attendance and even those watching at home. It certainly feels as though this will not be the last time the UFC will be held in this venue.
The energy was very high for the start of the main card and Ode Osbourne seemingly fed off of that for his opening bout against Ronaldo Rodriguez. Osbourne landed a huge counter right hook that dropped Rodriguez before landing a few more shots on the ground. The fight was seemingly about to be stopped when Rodriguez scrambled and wound up caught in a very tight triangle choke. Showcasing some unbelievable toughness, Rodriguez somehow lasted nearly two minutes in the choke before escaping and surviving the round. In the second, it was Roriguez who turned up the pressure and the two had some wild exchanges on the ground. Rodriguez found himself in one advantageous position after another, but Osbourne also showed some incredible toughness to hang in there and make it to a third round. Both men were clearly exhausted for the final frame and each had their moments, but in the end it was Rodriguez who did just enough to steal the final round and secure the unanimous decision victory.
Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovicz kept the energy going with a fight of the year candidate. These two stood toe to toe for three rounds and traded strikes, putting on an absolute show for the crowd. Zellhuber was the more technical striker but Ribovicz kept up a relentless pace and refused to back down. In the third, Zellhuber crushed Ribovicz with a massive elbow but he managed to survive the ensuing onslaught. Maybe a minute later, Ribovicz hit Zellhuber with a huge punch that rocked him and the pressure was suddenly on the other fighter to survive. Amazingly, he did, despite being on very wobbly legs. The relentless striking battle continued until the final bell and Ribovicz scored a split decision victory, but this was a great performance for both fighters.
Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega
This fight finally happened after being scrapped on the night of UFC 303 back in June, and it turned out to be worth the wait. Diego Lopes came out hot and landed a big combination in the opening seconds, dropping Brian Ortega. Lopes pounced and looked for the finish, but the ever-present grappling threat of Ortega was clearly in the back of his mind and eventually he let his opponent back to his feet. The second round was better for Ortega as his jab started to find a home and Lopes appeared to be fading just a bit. Still, Lopes managed to hit Ortega with a big head kick and later dropped him with a chopping leg kick. In the third, Lopes hurt Ortega again and tried to look for a submission. Ortega managed to survive, but he was never able to get off enough offense to keep Lopes from scoring a unanimous decision victory. After the fight, Lopes called for his name to be thrown in to the ring when considering the next featherweight championship challenger. A request that will likely be granted.
My pick: Lopes via 3rd round knockout
Result: Lopes via decision
Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso
The story was very different in the third fight of this trilogy from its previous two entries. Alexa Grasso shocked the world by submitting Valentina Shevchenko in their first meeting. Their second but resulted in a draw after a hard-fought 25 minutes. This time though, it was all Shevchenko. The former champ looked to be the faster an more technical in the striking game in the early going. But the story of the fight was by far the grappling dominance of Shevchenko, who scored a career best eight takedowns in this contest. Grasso threatened again and again with submission attempts from her back, but Shevchenko defended well and was able to grind out a dominant decision victory to recapture her championship. As the commentary team pointed out, this was such a one-sided affair that, despite their rivalry being even now, a fourth meeting seems unlikely.
My pick: Grasso via decision
Result: Shevchenko via decision
Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley
This was a classic MMA stylistic matchup between a striker and a grappler. And in the countless times I’ve seen that matchup, the grappler tends to have the advantage more often than not. Unfortunately for the champion Sean O’Malley, that was once again the case tonight. Merab Dvalishvili showcased his world-class grappling game and took the champ down again and again throughout this fight. O’Malley was never able to get into a rhythm with his striking because of the fear of being taken down, killing his typical gameplan and taking his skillset away from him. The champ tried to go for the finish in the closing seconds, landing a kick to the body that appeared to hurt Dvalishvili, but it was too little too late. Dvalishvili took a unanimous decision victory and the bantamweight crown.
My pick: Dvalishvili via decision
Result: Dvalishvili via decision
The UFC will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, September 28 for UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. St. Denis.