UFC 306: Sean O'Malley aims to shine on the biggest stage ...

Michael Bolton

The Sphere in Las Vegas will be the venue for UFC 306, as Sean O'Malley headlines on his biggest stage yet as he defends his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili.

In a highly anticipated match-up, the UFC have heavily invested in the showpiece event in the Sphere, on the weekend of Mexican independence.

In the main event at UFC 306, all eyes will be on one of the biggest superstars of the sport in O'Malley, who makes his second defence of his belt in one of his toughest challenges of his career.

Dvalishvili comes into the fight on a 10-fight win streak, with wins over former champions Petr Yan, Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo.

[caption id="attachment_1671396" align="alignnone" width="819"]img Photo: Sofascore.[/caption]

What makes this match-up so interesting is the clear advantages each fighter has. For O'Malley, his striking is one of the best in the sport.

He uses his footwork to create angles, and as Dvalishvili's close friend and former champion Aljamian Sterling found out at UFC 292, one mistake or misjudgement, O'Malley will take full advantage.

Standing across from him in ther octagon will be Georgian fighter Dvalishvili, who has some of the best cardio in the sport.

Dvalishvili will put on a pace from the first to the last second that is difficult for any fighter to match. His wrestling combined with his cardio allows him to shoot for takedowns with ease, and only becomes stronger as the fight goes on.

Nobody had dominated Henry Cejudo the way he did at UFC 298, particularly in the grappling department.

However, if he decides to strike with O'Malley, it could be a short night.

The start of the fight will be crucial for how this plays out. If O'Malley can keep his distance with his jab and kicks and hurt Dvalishvili early on, there could be a path to victory.

However, if the fighter reaches the later rounds, and Dvalishvili is controlling the fight with his grappling, it is likely we will have a new champion.

In the co-main event, the trilogy will be complete as Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko compete for the women's flyweight title once again.

Grasso shocked the world when she ended Shevchenko's reign as champion when she submitted her in the fourth round at UFC 285, to become the first Mexican woman to win a UFC title.

In the rematch six months later, they could not be separated as it ended in a split-draw.

Shevchenko is one of the best women to compete in the sport, but after Grasso has taken her title she had for so long, this could be her last chance to regain it.

With powerful kicks and boxing, combined with the ability to end the fight on the ground, Shevchenko has the advantage in many areas.

However, what both fights have shown is Grasso has no fear. Grasso's combinations in boxing have caused Shevchenko trouble, and she has held her own when the fight has got to the ground.

The no-fear approach by Grasso is likely her path to victory, but if Shevchenko is allowed to dictate where the fight goes, she should regain her belt.

In what could be the fight of the night at UFC 306 in the featherweight division, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes are once again set to clash.

Originally scheduled for UFC 303, the fight was moved to lightweight two days prior, before Ortega was forced out of the bout due to illness, just hours before the event.

However, in an extraordinary turn of events, Lopes was determined to stay on the card, and faced Dan Ige on a couple of hours notice, where he won via decision.

Since making his debut in the UFC in May 2023, Lopes has won four fights in a row, with three first round finishes.

In his toughest challenge yet, he will face two-time title challenger Ortega, who has a win over Yair Rodriguez in February.

Lopes has shown he has power, and has submissions in his skill-set should the fight get to the ground.

What makes Ortega so dangerous is he is never out of a fight. He has shown if things are not going his way, once the fight gets to  the ground, the ability to pull out a submission from the most difficult of positions makes this fight fascinating.