MISSOULA — The Suga Show is back.
Helena native Sean O'Malley, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's bantamweight title-holder, is set to defend his crown at UFC 306 against contender Merab Dvalishvili, the promotion announced Friday.
Two long-awaited title fights will take the biggest stage 🏆🏆@SugaSeanMMA vs @MerabDvalishvil @AlexaGrasso vs @BulletValentina 3 @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE on PPV from @SphereVegas pic.twitter.com/oLadZpvkTX
— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2024
UFC 306 is scheduled for Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Arguably the biggest card of the year with the UFC's debut at the highly popular and visual Sphere venue, O'Malley will be making the second title defense of his career. The Montanan defeated Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August in Boston to win the belt, and followed that with a victory over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 back in March in Miami to defend his title.
The mixed martial arts clash between O'Malley and Dvalishvili brings a heated rivalry to a head as the two prepare to step into the Octagon together. Dvalishvili, who hails from the country of Georgia and trains out of New York, is a close friend and training partner of Sterling's and is one of the top fighters on the entire UFC roster.
Dvalishvili, 33, sports a 17-4 pro MMA record and is 10-2 in the UFC. After losing his first two career UFC bouts, Dvalishvili has won 10 in a row with his most recent victory a win over former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo. He also holds recent wins over fellow former champions Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
O'Malley, 29, is 18-1 with one no contest in his pro MMA career and 10-1 with the no contest in the UFC. O'Malley, who currently trains out of the MMA Lab in Phoenix, is currently on a seven-fight unbeaten streak, with his no contest against Pedro Munhoz mixed in with six victories, including a victory over Yan as well.
After his win over Vera, O'Malley recently returned to Helena to visit fans and held an event and photoshoot.
