Noche UFC Betting Recap: Dvalishvili, Shevchenko Rule

Elsewhere, Diego Lopes beat the brakes off Brian Ortega, Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber put on a Fight of the Year contender, Ketlen Souza cashed as the biggest UFC betting underdog, and Irene Aldana left the MMA fan base in pain and empathy due to her horrific injuries.

As the dust has settled and the weekend festivities wind down, let’s take a closer look at UFC 306, AKA Noche UFC, and evaluate whether the first-ever Las Vegas Sphere event lived up to the hype.

These rising stars showed UP and showed OUT at #UFC306!

[ @RiyadhSeason | #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/TxUvUzb4L5

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

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Lacklustre Main and Co-Main Event

I’m sure Dana White and the UFC execs weren’t ecstatic about their evening’s premier UFC 306 bouts due to the slow-paced, passive nature that both championship fights presented. We know the company thrives on media attention, and highlight reel stoppages are often at the forefront of this.

Unfortunately, there were no highlights in sight. Merab Dvalishvili neutralized the striking ace Sean O’Malley via consistent takedowns and top control in the crowning of a new bantamweight champion.

The Machine did it ALL in the Octagon last night! 😤 @MerabDvalishvil is your NEW bantamweight champion 🏆

[ #UFC306 | @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/uAAurTIWwz

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

We can point the finger at Merab for his uneventful style, but O’Malley didn’t let his hands go until about two minutes before the final two minutes of the fifth and final round. He was overwhelmed by the rugged Georgian wrestler, who fought the exact game plan he needed to win. And to no surprise, much like any time a savvy grappler neutralizes a striker in the spotlight, most MMA betting fans and onlookers weren’t pleased.

O’Malley, with a depressed posture and holding back tears, exited the octagon without the title in what felt like the ‘Suga’ era was over before it had even begun.

An impressive performance on the biggest stage of them all 😮‍💨@MerabDvalishvil is the NEW bantamweight champion of the world 👏

[ #UFC306 | @RiyadhSeason | #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/yh6ZIfkOcw

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

Shevchenko Plays It Safe

Sadly, Merab wasn’t the only fighter to play it safe. Even sadder for the UFC, it was in back-to-back fights where we endured a painstaking grapple-fest with minimal action.

While it was one of Valentina Shevchenko’s most dominating performances of an excellent UFC career, watching her force Grasso onto the mat for five straight rounds without much risk to find the stoppage wasn’t fan-friendly.

UFC President Dana White put it best during the Noche UFC post-fight press conference: “You can put on 20 million dollars’ worth of production, but you can’t control the fights.”

That said, what the world’s leading MMA promotion could control was everything in between the fights, and they did a damn good job.

Man, does it feel good to be a CHAMPION 🏆@BulletValentina 💃@MerabDvalishvil 🕺

[ #UFC306 | @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/LcAzyKHzcw

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

UFC 306 Fight of the Night  

Yes, the co and main event disappointed many, but the Fight of the Night could easily finish 2024 as the greatest fight of the year in MMA history. We watched Argentine Esteban Ribovics and Mexico’s Daniel Zellhuber epitomize the term ‘leave it all in the octagon.’

The Mexican fighters’ winning results didn’t go according to plan, but the toughness of this nation will never be questioned. Following a brutal two rounds of back-and-forth striking, Zellhuber somehow survived in the third round after receiving a flurry of shots to continue fighting like it had never happened.

Zellhuber Ribovics

Take a bow 🇲🇽🇦🇷#NocheUFC #FOTN
pic.twitter.com/njsIIi3Wvn

— 🌷David☘ (@DManyun_) September 15, 2024

It’s a shame that the likes of Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega had to contend with such a bout because if it weren’t for Ribovics and Zellhuber, they would’ve likely stolen the spotlight. Both fighters delivered before a unanimous decision win for the Brazilian, but the multiple times that he dropped Ortega hyped this contest up to be one of the best on the night for UFC predictions.

DIEGO LOPES JUST DROPPED BRIAN ORTEGA 😱

[ #UFC306 at @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC live RIGHT NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/0N8tHWW2VH

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

Sending Love to Irene Aldana  

Women’s bantamweight contenders Irene Aldana and Norma Dumont were split at even odds pre-fight. Still, if you had seen the state in which Mexico’s Aldana left the octagon in, you would’ve happily played the -1000 UFC odds on her opponent.

It’s never pleasing when one of the night’s highlights is a gruesome injury, but Aldana left the Sphere looking like she’d just filmed a slasher horror. A clash of heads, coupled with 15 minutes of ruthless strikes to the face, once again proved Mexican DNA should be studied for toughness but also left fans worldwide with pain empathy.

Umm.

Did Irene Aldana get hit with an axe in the octagon?😳 pic.twitter.com/PzIk5ihBo8

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 15, 2024

UFC at the Sphere Was Unreal, But Was It the Greatest?  

As the haters spent the first half of the show talking smack about the underwhelming UFC 306 show in Sphere, they weren’t as loud as the event progressed, and we finally got to see Dana White’s “Love Letter to Mexico.”

Those in attendance at the Sphere on Saturday night got to experience a sports event that won’t be easy to replicate. Even sitting at home watching from the television, this tribute to Mexico was a sensory overload. Short vignettes told the story of Mexico and its fighting heritage via the 160,000 sq. ft screen.

NEW: UFC 306 at the Sphere was a massive success with the UFC investing over $20 million to produce the show.

The event was the first of its kind, with audience members being able to feel punches through haptic feedback in the seats.

Here are some insane stats from the event:… pic.twitter.com/syANQ25Goi

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 15, 2024

Before each main event bout, these short movies would focus on a different environmental aspect of Mexican land, accompanied by narration. From Mayan ruins to a Dia De Los Muertos-themed town, the backdrops used and projected on the Sphere’s screen were so cool and visually pleasing that it soon became clear where the $20m had been spent.

From a production standpoint, the spectacle itself was undeniably special. Dana promised fans “the greatest live combat sports show anybody’s ever seen,” but many will disagree, not because of the location or the lack of effort, but because the fights didn’t exactly go to plan.

PARA MÉXICO 🔥🇲🇽 #NocheUFC in Sphere was pure art 🎨 #UFC306 pic.twitter.com/ts98ZpEaQq

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 15, 2024

It’s the beauty of MMA: you can throw 20, 30, or even $100m at production, but if fighter performances don’t align, you won’t have the ability to proclaim your event was a once-in-a-lifetime night for combat sports. To make matters worse, the love letter to Mexico resulted in their fighters going 3-6 on the night, in defeats that weren’t even close.

Perhaps the UFC will give the Sphere another run, but next time, focus on the nations that have truly elevated your company to unfathomable heights… Sphere events celebrating the USA or Brazil, anyone?

THE DETAILS 💀

[ #UFC306 | @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/CrzAMU7v4R

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

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