The UFC is doing it big this Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Riyadh Season Noche UFC makes history as the first-ever sporting event to take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas with a triple-header to top it all off. On Friday, the UFC announced the rest of the Noche UFC line-up with two title fights, which features a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, your classic striker vs. grappler matchup in the headliner.
The Main Event
O’Malley defends his title for a second time after capturing the throne from Aljamain Sterling, Dvalishvili’s teammate, via TKO stoppage last August at UFC 292. The 29 year-old followed it up with another stellar performance in his latest fight against Chito Vera, outclassing his rival across five rounds.
Dvalishvili will look to avenge his friend Sterling in his long-awaited title fight that took him 10 victories to get to. Georgia’s Dvalishvili holds wins over the biggest names in the division, including former champs Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
The #1 contender proved how undeniable he really was by outwrestling Olympic Gold Medalist Cejudo in his last outing at UFC 298. The following month, Dvalishvili weighed in as the back-up for O’Malley’s title fight against Vera and while his services were not needed, he knew his turn for a title shot had to be what was next for him and rightfully so.
Alexa Grasso’s Showing Out For Mexico
The co-headliner features the return of Mexico’s very own women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso as she’s pitted against Valentina Shevchenko. The current champ has meet the former champ twice before, taking Shevchenko’s title the first time and defending it to a split draw result in their rematch at Noche UFC last year.
Grasso and Shevchenko have spent the first part of 2024 as the coaches of the newest season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, coaching an international cast of hot prospects to a potential UFC contract. The second half will play host to a trilogy bout of the highest order between the old and new era of the women’s flyweight division.
Let’s Try This Again: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
The third bout of the triple header doesn’t have a title on the line but what it’s got is Mexican heart as Brian Ortega takes on Spanish-speaking Brazilian contender Diego Lopes. Ortega was scheduled to face Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303 last month but Ortega withdrew on fight night, leaving Lopes to fight and win against Dan Ige on just a few hours notice. Lopes is from Brazil but fights out of Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico – hoping to find his way into the top 5 with a win over Ortega (#3).
A Chicano as well as a two-time title challenger, “T-City” Ortega is coming off a win over interim champ Yair Rodriguez in Mexico City in February, where he conquered adversity to pull off a stunning third-round submission against the Mexican favorite.
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A Mexican-Heavy Card For Mexican Independence Day Weekend
Check out the full 10-fight lineup for Riyadh Season Noche UFC which takes place on Sep. 14 from the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
- Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
- Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
- Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne
- Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
- Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
- Edgar Cháirez vs. Kevin Borjas
- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng
