Previewing UFC 306 Fight Card

Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2024

by Anthony Collins

Fight fans all over the world look forward to this Saturday in Las Vegas, as the highly anticipated UFC 306 is headlined with two main events along with another exciting matchup. The biggest fight on the card features the bantamweight champion and one of the UFC’s biggest stars, “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who looks to defend his title against the No. 1 contender in the division, Merab Dvalishvili. In combat, styles make fights, especially when you look at how these fighters match up. When you look at what Merab brings to the table, the Georgian possesses a rare combination of Sambo and Wrestling. With the upper hand having world-class endurance, Merab will look to drag this fight out all 25 minutes by controlling the fight on the ground, as well as catching the Champ open for submission. O’Malley, who seems to get better each time he steps into the octagon, has shown drastic improvement in his Fight IQ knowing when to utilize his world-class striking. He will look to finish this fight early and try to stay on his feet as long as possible, rather than test the ground game of Merab. This is easier said than done, given the fact that Dvalishvili leads the UFC in takedowns with 79, and is only 11 away from breaking the all-time record held by GSP. This matchup is looked at by many as the biggest fight of the year, with these fighters at the peak of their careers, as well as both coming off 10-fight win streaks of their own. 

The co-main event between Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 has a lot of history behind it, being it’s a trilogy fight. Shevchenko, who has already cemented herself as one of the greatest pound-for-pound female fighters in this sport, will look for vengeance this time around. But not just from her submission loss in their first fight, but after a controversial draw in their last bout that infuriated UFC fans who believe she was robbed of a victory. Age could become a factor in this fight, with Shevchenko only getting older, as Grasso looks more polished of a fighter each time she steps foot in the octagon. 

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes is another fight to watch on this card, with both fighters having unique styles from one another. Ortega has had a rollercoaster of a career in the UFC, being given two title shots and coming up empty in both. Ortega has been one of those fighters that’s contended for the title for quite some time, but was never able to hold the belt. This will be an extremely tough fight for him going up against Lopes, a rising star who has been nothing short of dominant since entering the UFC. Lopes is an aggressive grappler while Ortega is notorious for being a master of submissions. Given the fact of how deadly both fighters are on the ground, that is what makes this battle so interesting. 

Anthony Collins can be reached at anthony.collins@student.shu.edu

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