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    • UFC 306: Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O’Malley to capture UFC bantamweight title
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    UFC 306: Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O’Malley to capture UFC bantamweight title

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    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 14: (RL) Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia wrestles Sean O'Malley for the UFC Bantamweight Championship during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

    Merab Dvalishvili was relentless against Sean O’Malley at UFC 309. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

    Merab Dvalishvili looked eager and tireless at UFC 306. Most notably, he looked like a champion.

    He now has a matching belt.

    Over the course of 25 minutes, Dvalishvili cumulatively pummeled UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley to win via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) and extend a UFC Bantamweight record-breaking 11-fight winning streak. Facing a deadly striker in O’Malley, Dvalishvili maintained a manic pace until O’Malley gasped for breath in the championship rounds.

    “The Machine” kept coming, even as a few of O’Malley’s punches left some cuts on his face. More than once, O’Malley was not only taken down, but thrown to the mat, and the punching specialist had no answer for the Georgian on the ground.

    There were some odd moments, though. The fight was stopped just seconds into the first round when Dvalishvili appeared to get into an altercation with O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch. There was also, shall we say, an incident where Dvalishvili kissed O’Malley while he was up against the fence and then got up and walked away with four seconds left in the second round, giving O’Malley enough time to get up and land another punch.

    O’Malley showed enough in the third and fifth rounds to avoid a shutout, but Dvalishvili clearly had enough of an advantage that the entire Sphere audience should have known that O’Malley needed a finish. He didn’t get it.

    In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed her UFC women’s flyweight belt with a masterclass in her trilogy bout against Alexa Grasso. The future Hall of Famer outscored her opponent 45-18 while dominating her on the ground, landing 8 of 12 takedown attempts and logging over 16 minutes of ground control time.

    Grasso had a few moments, most notably a guillotine in the fourth round that held Shevchenko for a minute or so, but which ultimately led nowhere.

    In the backdrop to all this, literally, were the awe-inspiring visuals of the Sphere. The UFC reportedly spent $20 million — 10 times more than a normal card — on the high-tech venue and its massive, circular LED screen, and it all made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with special “Noche UFC” presentations between fights in honor of Mexican Independence Day.

    Here’s how it all went down via Yahoo Sports:

    Live153 updates

    • RESULT: Merab Dvalishvili final. Sean O’Malley (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)

      THERE’S A NEW UFC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION!

    • Fight ends and Merab should almost win. Incredible work by the Georgian fighter to make it look easy against O’Malley.

    • O’Malley hurts Merab with a body shot! Merab circles and stays away. One minute left!

    • Merab scores another huge takedown. Sean is back, but things aren’t looking good for the champion.

    • Merab unloads once O’Malley finally gets back to his feet in the final 15 seconds of the round. O’Malley needs a finish in the fifth round or his championship reign will end in convincing fashion. Merab has dominated.

    • Merab gets the takedown in the center of the Octagon at 3:45 of Round 4. He appears to be bleeding from his nose and ear, but he does some damage on top of O’Malley.

    • Weird sequence at the end of the 2nd with Merab catching Sean in a guillotine and then kissing him on the back. Herb Dean stops him, Merab lets go and walks away, then Sean jumps up and punches Merab in the back of the head before the bell rings.

    • Herb Dean stops the action after O’Malley grabs Merab’s glove while raining from the top position. Good catch and great warning from Dean. Action resumes.

    Saturday, September 14, 2024 – Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada

    Main Card (start time 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV)

    Preliminaries (start time 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS/ESPN+)

    Early Prelims (start time 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)

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