Fight week for the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view this Saturday night has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode.
Under the spotlight in this edition is the headliner between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili and the co-main event between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.
Saturday’s lineup is topped by an intriguing championship clash, with bantamweight kingpin O'Malley (18-1, 1 NC) looking to add a second successful defense to his reign, which got underway with a victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023. He’s since retained possession of the belt by getting the better of Marlon Vera in their Miami rematch this past March.
If "Sugar" is to continue his rule atop the 135-pound mountain, he must record a victory over Dvalishvili (17-4). "The Machine" will ride a 10-fight win streak into his first title shot on mixed martial arts' biggest stage, most notably getting the better of prominent names like Marlon Moraes, José Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo in recent years.
Before those two run it back in the main event at Las Vegas' Sphere, the Mexican Independence Day celebration will see one of the country's own defending their championship.
For the third straight fight, the UFC women's flyweight gold will be contested by Grasso (16-3-1) and Shevchenko (23-4-1), as they complete their trilogy 18 months on from the Mexican's memorable upset submission at T-Mobile Arena. Since that result, the pair have fought to a draw at last year's Noche UFC event and coached opposite one another on the 2024 edition of The Ultimate Fighter.
Ahead of those two contests in Las Vegas, fans can catch previews in the full episode of UFC 306 Countdown on the promotion’s YouTube channel.