Noche UFC at Sphere gets Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title-fight headliner

One of the biggest fights the UFC can make will take place at one of the most anticipated and unique events the promotion has ever held.

Bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and top contender Merab Dvalishvili will finally settle their score at Noche UFC (also known as UFC 306), Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White announced Friday on social media.

O’Malley and Dvalishvili have been aligned since March. In February, Dvalishvili defeated Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision at UFC 298 before O’Malley beat Marlon Vera by unanimous decision at UFC 299 in March.

Since then, the two have been aligned for a title fight, but it was just a matter of when and where. As it turns out, they’ll headline the first combat sports event at Sphere, a project UFC CEO Dana White has hyped since the venue’s opening in 2023. The event is set to be a tribute to Mexican Independence Day.

The rivalry between O’Malley and Dvalishvili has escalated for years. Dvalishvili’s close friendship with training partner Aljamain Sterling catalyzed the dislike. When O’Malley squared off with Sterling in the cage at the conclusion of UFC 288 in May 2023, Dvalishvili infamously stole O’Malley’s jacket and wore it.

Since then, a war of words has ensued over social media with Dvalishvili even frequently filming skit videos that include an O’Malley doppelgänger.

Words aside, both men have proven themselves elite competitors with O’Malley having finished Sterling with strikes in August before the Vera win seven months later.

Dvalishvili rides an eight-fight winning streak into the matchup with wins over Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo among others.

With the addition, the Noche UFC lineup includes:

• Champ Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for bantamweight title
• Champ Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko – for women’s flyweight title
• Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
• Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
• Ode Osbourne vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez
• Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
• Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
• Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez
• Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.