Expect a spectacle! While this can be said for any UFC event, this one really is one of a kind. First of all, it is dedicated to the celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Secondly, it is going to be held at the Las Vegas Sphere. You can already tell that only due to this fact alone it is a unique event. Dana White already confirmed that production costs tied to organizing a UFC event at the Sphere are massive and that this is a one-off event. Knowing this, everyone going there for UFC 306 knows what he’s getting for the price of a ticket.
Mexico Independence Day is a massive event for all Mexicans and their friends, so you can bet that they will be honored by the best means possible. We’re, of course, talking about the UFC 306 bouts. The UFC commissioner, Dana White, already confirmed that the card will be Mexican-heavy. Not all bouts have been confirmed as of now, so we’ll write about what we know so far.
UFC 306 is scheduled for the 14th of September, and with little more than one month to go, we will have a clearer picture of who will fight who in the coming days and weeks. What we do know at the moment is that the event is dubbed Riyadh Season Noche UFC. As you can guess, part of it is tied to Mexican culture, while the other part is tied to the event’s sponsors.
As far as the bouts go, at the moment, we can say with a lot of certainty that the headliner is going to be O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili. So, let us start with the biggest match scheduled for the Sphere event before we move to the rest of the UFC 306 picks.
Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Noche UFC will have plenty of good fights. As fans, we can’t wait to witness the bantamweight title defense by Sean O’Malley. Las Vegas Sphere is an amazing venue for this type of fight. Both men are more than eager to show what they have stored in them on September 14th. O’Malley entered this match as a clear-cut favorite. After all, he is holding an 18-1-0 record in the UFC. Back in March he already defended his title once in a bout against Marlon Vera.
Across him, there will be Dvalishvili who is a good fighter currently standing at 17-4. His title challenge is coming on the wings of a win against no other than Henry Cejudo in February. By beating a former UFC champion, Merab received a chance to have a go at the title himself.
While O’Malley is the champion, after securing the title last year in August with a win against Aljamain Sterling after a second-round TKO, he is not the No.1 ranked fighter in the bantamweight. His September 14th adversary is. UFC rankings mean these fighters the same way their titles do, and thus we can expect a bantamweight spectacle at the Sphere. While all the focus is going to be on the main bout, no one should neglect the co-main event. We’re talking about:
Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
You can expect the fist to fly when these two ladies enter the octagon. With a battling history shared among them, we expect nothing less. Alexa Grasso is the current title holder. Funnily enough, the 16-3-1 fighter took the title from Shevchenko back in March of 2023. A submission win is never pretty, and Valentina sought revenge in September of 2023 and the two ladies drew the match. So, there’s still bad blood between them, and belief on Shevchenko’s side that she can get her title back.
After all, Valentina defended her title seven times before she lost to Alexa Grasso. She now feels that it’s time to recoup the tile that belonged to her for so long. Valentina also wants to pair the title with her No.1 rank in the UFC among ladies weighing 125 pounds or less. With everything said, due to clear and established rivalry, we expect more from this bout than from the main card. Also, that’s not all, as one of the better UFC betting picks is the bout between:
Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
This one was a long time in the making. Ortega vs. Lopes was touted for a while now, but the fight failed to come to fruition the last time around. If you’re following the featherweight closely, then you know that Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes was initially scheduled for UFC 303. First, the bout was moved to the 155-pound division, making it a bit controversial. After that Ortega reported that he was feeling ill and the duel was canceled. Diego Lopes stood his ground, accepted the replacement fight, and entered the octagon vs. Dan Ige. The replacement came in late, and without plenty of preparation, it was an easy win for Lopes. Entering this bout the favorite to win is Brian Ortega who holds a 16-3-0-1 record and is ranked as the No.3 fighter in the 145-pound division. Across him, he will have a hungry but experienced fighter in Lopes who is ranked at No.12 with a 25-6 record.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng
As we said, the Noche at the Sphere is going to feature plenty of Mexican fighters. Trust us, no one represents his country better than Raul Rosas Jr. This is the main reason why his fight is on the main card for the UFC 306. We believe that plenty of his compatriots are going to have him as their UFC betting favorite during the Riyadh Season Noche UFC. Mexican Independence Day celebrations would only be full with his win.
Raul is one of the youngest fighters in the entire UFC at only 19 years of age. During his short, but successful MMA career, he amassed 9 wins and only one defeat. Before entering the company he was 6-0, with his only defeat happening during his four UFC bouts. His opponent is a bit more experienced with almost forty bouts under his belt and a 25-11 score, with a mixed 3-3 UFC record.
Rosas Jr. is on a two-win streak and wants to add a third one. Both of those wins came by submission which is a clear testament to the style of fighting Raul applies in the octagon. His Chinese adversary, who is 31, has plenty more experience. During his last five fights, he has three wins and one loss while one match was interrupted after he received a kick in the groin. A fight dubbed as youth vs. experience duel will attract plenty of spectators due to both fighters coming from lands that are in love with martial arts and have vast fan bases.
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
It was Yazmin Jauregui who insisted on this match. She got what she was looking for, or that’s something we’ll find out once the UFC 306 is over? Either way, here we have another Mexican fighter who will represent their country during the September 14th, Las Vegas Sphere event. If you didn’t know, Yazmin is a Tijuana native and despite both fighters being professionals we believe that Jauregui will have a better motive and more inspiration than her Brazilian counterpart Ketlen Souza.
This bout was not yet officially announced by Dana White but MMA Junkie source is sure that it’s happening. Jauregui was one pushing to have her fight scheduled for the Noche UFC due to her heritage and her latest win against Sam Hughes back in February in Mexico City. Yazmin will be looking to continue her winning ways as the Mexico City bout was her first win after being defeated for the first time back in July of 2023.
At the same time, Ketlen Souza had a short stint with the UFC, and after her debut in June of 2023, she recorded her first win in April of this year against Marnic Mann. Jauregui is standing at 11-1 and will be looking to continue with her early MMA successes. Souza is a new addition to the UFC card, and with her UFC score standing at 1-1, she will be looking to make it 2-1 as soon as possible.
Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont is a match on the preliminary card of UFC 306 but it deserves so much more attention. These two professional MMA fighters will have their stand-off in the UFC bantamweight. While overshadowed by some other duels, they will bring the best UFC has to offer to the table without a doubt. Irene Aldana is entering this bout as a slight favorite. She’s currently ranked as a No. 2 fighter in the bantamweight and is entering this match on the wings of a win against Karol Rosa. She is yet another Mexican fighter looking to make her country proud during their independence day. In her career, Irene stands at 15-7, and at 36 years of age, she is quite an experienced fighter.
Her opponent on September 14th is going to be Norma Dumont. Another Mexico vs. Brazil duel could create a drift in diplomatic relations between these countries. Dumont is a serious fighter and with an 11-2 score you can tell she’s not prone to losing. Also, she is entering this match on the wings of four consecutive wins looking to make it five. If you want to throw a bet we recommend that you look for a Brazilian win as she’s a -120 favorite at Stake and similar betting outlets.
How to Bet on UFC 306?
We always like to share a few tips on betting before a major event such as UFC 306. Betting on UFC and MMA in general is not all that hard. Of course, you first need to affiliate yourself with a betting platform. So, let’s start from there:
– Open an account with a betting outlet such as Stake or simply log in to your pre-existing account.
– Check your account balance. If you don’t have any funds in your account (if you already had one) or if it is a new account then a deposit is needed. Make your first deposit and let the fun start.
The next thing to do is to check the upcoming MMA and UFC events to see which fights are available and what are the odds.
– When you’re satisfied with what’s on the table you need to pick the fights, select the odds, and put them all on your slip. Pay the amount you want to bet and wait for disclosure and the fight ends.
For more information and betting tips, check out the guide on how to bet on UFC on Stake Sportsbook.
The best part about betting on MMA is the diversity of bets you can make. The simplest one is to bet on the outright match winner. In addition to that, you also have Asian totals, winning method bets, winner and exact rounds, and will the fight go the distance. With the number of matches on events such as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, you can make all sorts of interesting combinations and make your UFC match-watching experience even more fun.
Bottom Line
UFC 306 at Las Vegas Sphere already promises a lot of excitement even if it is one month away. The background of Mexican Independence Day, the venue that is the spectacular LV Sphere, and dozens of passionate and extra-motivated Mexican fighters are a recipe for a spectacle. The best part is that the UFC 306 card is not yet completed. In the coming days and weeks, we will be updated and more interesting bouts will be added to both the preliminary and the main card. Are you excited? We know that we are.