UFC 306 results, highlights: Merab Dvalishvili rolls through Sean O'Malley to claim bantamweight title

The native of Georgia completed his long journey to the title with a brilliant performance on Saturday night

Merab Dvalishvili ran through Sean O'Malley, and nearly O'Malley's coach, en route to becoming UFC bantamweight champion.

Dvalishvili lived up to his "Machine" moniker, using his relentless wrestling to close the show at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night at UFC 306.

The fight started chaotically with Dvalishvili approaching and yelling at O'Malley's head coach Tim Welch. Referee Herb Dean intervened, telling Dvalishvili to focus on O'Malley. Dean warned Welch about an "excessive coaching" rule with the UFC commentators suggesting Welch may have attempted to mislead Dvalishvili by acting as his corner.

The bizarreness continued into Round 2. O'Malley was warned for illegally grabbing inside Dvalishvili's glove while attempting an armbar. Dvalishvili attempted a guillotine choke late in the round but was warned by Dean for repeatedly kissing O'Malley's back. Dvalishvili let go of the submission and walked away from O'Malley with several seconds left, allowing O'Malley to land a pair of legal sucker punches. Dean told Dvalsihvili, "That was your fault."

Dvalishvili's nonstop wrestling got the better of O'Malley, winning four rounds on one judge's scorecard and three rounds from the other two judges for a unanimous decision. Round 3 was a swing round due to O'Malley's late flurry of strikes, and the former champ had his strongest showing in Round 5 after hurting Dvalishvili to the body. Ultimately, Dvalishvili endured.

"I feel like I'm in a dream…" Dvalishvili said in his post-fight interview. "I know O'Malley is good but I made him look normal."

Dvalishvili improved to 17-4, improving his winning streak to 11. O'Malley dropped to 18-2, 1 NC and suffered his first loss since 2020.

Elsewhere on the card, Diego Lopes battered Brian Ortega and left him a bloody mess by the end of three rounds to move up the featherweight rankings. Lopes and Ortega were scheduled to fight at UFC 303 before Ortega fell ill on fight night and was forced to withdraw. Lopes picked up his third win of the year and moved himself closer to a title shot. Plus, Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber delivered an epic battle that may become a Fight of the Year contender as both men laid it all on the line in scoring multiple knockdowns -- including a dramatic third round where both men were nearly stopped.

CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 306 below.

UFC 306 card, results

• Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley (c) via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
  
• Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso (c) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
• Diego Lopes def Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  
• Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Igancio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via first-round knockout (punches)
• Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
• Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

[Sep 15, 2024 at 2:05 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Official result: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley via unanimous decision (49-47, 48-47, 48-47) to become UFC bantamweight champion.

[Sep 15, 2024 at 2:03 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili -- Round 5: O'Malley takes the center. The champ almost certainly needs a finish. Dvalishvili chains an overhand right into a big double-leg takedown. O'Malley retreats to the fence. O'Malley breaks free halfway through the round and lands a stiff jab. Dean has repeatedly told the fighters to work, arguably too much. O'Malley hits a front kick to the body that has Dvalishili retreating. A spinning back kick partially lands. O'Malley catches the challenger with an uppercut on the takedown attempt. More front kicks by the champ, plus a knee up the middle. O'Malley has 45 seconds left as Dvalishvili keeps circling away. O'Malley lands a hard body punch. Dvalishvili gets the single-leg takedown with 10 seconds left and that's our fight. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 O'Malley (48-47 Dvalishvili overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:57 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili -- Round 4: A nice calf kick by Dvalishvili. A good right hand by O'Malley. The challenger applies pressure but O'Malley is doing well to circle out. A crisp jab by the champ. A nice overhand right stings Dvalishvili. The Georgian fighter punches his way into a great takedown. O'Malley cuts Dvalishvili with an eblow from the bottom. Dvalishvili is also bleeding from his left ear. Dvalishvili adds strikes to his tally from the top position. O'Malley gets to the fence but can't get Dvalishvili off him. Dvalishvili uncorks with punches that have O'Malley covering up! Dvalishvili backs out and mocks the champ with a double bicep flex. O'Malley looks tired. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Dvalishvili (39-37 Dvalishvili overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:51 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili -- Round 3: Dvalishvili continues to wear on O'Malley with his wrestling. The challenger lands several knees against the fence, including one that may have been illegal. O'Malley breaks free with half a round left. Dvalishvili catches a body kick and lunges forward with a cross. Dvalishvilui lands four consecutive calf kicks. O'Malley lands a nice left hand. The challenger partially lands a long overhand right and applies pressure. A great right cross by O'Malley. A nice right hand and a good knee by O'Malley. The champ's best round by far, one that he was losing until the final 15 seconds. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 O'Malley (29-28 Dvalishvili overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:47 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili -- Round 2: Referee Herb Dean warns Tim Welch about an "excessive coaching" rule. Dvalishvili doing a nice job of staying outside or inside of O'Malley's range. Dvalishvili lands a beautiful double leg as O'Malley steps in for a punch. O'Malley throws up an armbar attempt but the referee intervenes. Dean accuses O'Malley of illegally grabbing the inside of Dvalishvili's glove. Dean gives O'Malley a stern warning and gives the position to the challenger. Dvalishvili lands hammer fists from side control. Dvalishvili locks up a guillotine choke against the fence and starts smooching O'Malley's back. Dean warns Dvalishvili about the kisses. Dvalishvili lets go and walks away with several seconds left, allowing O'Malley to land a pair of legal sucker punches. Dean told Dvalishvili, "That was your fault." What a bizarre fight. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Dvalishvili (20-18 Dvalishvili overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:38 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili -- Round 1: A touch of the gloves to get us started. O'Malley takes the center immediately. Dvalishvili starts yelling and going after O'Malley's coach Tim Welch. Referee Herb Dean intervenes and tells Dvalishvili to focus on the fight. O'Malley barely misses a spinning wheel kick. Dean warns Welch not to mislead Dvalishvili by cornering him. O'Malley with a nice jab. Dvalishvili starts closing the gap. Calf kick from Dvalishvili. Another jab and body kick by O'Malley. The challenger shoots his first takedown successfully. O'Malley eating punches on the way up. O'Malley spins free. Dvalisvhili troubles O'Malley with a right hand and uses it to score a second takedown. O'Malley to his feet. Dvalishvili jumps on a guillotine and rolls O'Malley over. The challenger has O'Malley pressed against the fence. A left hook lands for Dvalishviili on the break. The challenger points at O'Malley, mocking the champ. Another missed wheel kick by O'Malley. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Dvalishvili.

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:09 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

UFC 306's main event is up next. UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley makes his second title defense against top contender Merab Dvalishvili. The challenger is a close friend of Aljamain Sterling, the man O'Malley beat to become champion. O'Malley is one of the roster's best strikers going up against the company's most relentless wrestler.

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:04 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Official result: Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso via unanimous decision () to win the UFC women's flyweight championship.

[Sep 15, 2024 at 1:02 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko -- Round 5. Grasso throws a naked leg kick, and Shevchenko makes her pay with a one-two combo. A nice cross lands for the challenger. Grasso hits a left hand and initiates the grappling. Grasso throws Shevchenko to the ground and gets the mount. Shevchenko pushes off the fence to get free and takes Grasso down. The champ gets to her feet and the fighters returns to center. Grasso lands a combination and shoots a takedown. Grasso bounces off the mat and gets pushed to the fence. Shevchenko clocks Grasso before landing another takedown. A clean sweep by the challenger. For the third time tonight, Shevchenko takes the back with 10 seconds left in a round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (50-45 Shevchenko overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 12:57 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko -- Round 4. Shevchenko initiates a takedown and Grasso locks up a good guillotine choke. Shevchenko throws punches to the body as Grasso tries to improve the angle. Grasso rolls Shevchenko into a mount but they roll through back into guard. Shevchenko escapes with three minutes to go. Shevchenko floats into an arm triangle attempt from mouth. Grasso escapes shortly after. Shevchenko controlled Grasso for most of the round but Grasso came closest to finishing the fight. If it hadn't been for Shevchenko achieving the crucifix and unloading shots, you could have feasibly scored it for the champ. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (40-36 Shevchenko overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 12:49 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko -- Round 3: A good body kick by Grasso. A strong calf kick by Grasso. Shevchenko continues getting the better of the striking with her superior speed. A cheeky head kick from the challenger. No tell on that whatsoever. A nice Muay Thai knee by Shevchenko followed by a kick to the body. Grasso stuffs a takedown but nearly overextended. Grasso scores another takedown. The challenger advances to half-guard. Shevchenko briefly gets mount but Grasso uses her butterfly hooks to reclaim the guard. Shevchenko takes the back with 10 seconds left. Grasso looks dejected. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (30-27 Shevchenko overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 12:43 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko -- Round 2: Shevchenko scores a double leg one minute in. Grasso immediately shoots an omoplata attempt but Shevchenko breaks free. Shevchenko improves to half-guard. Grasso shrimps back into full guard and throws up an armbar attempt. Shevchenko shucks free into side control. Grasso breaks free with 90 seconds in the round. Shevchenko shoots a takedown, Grasso overcommits on the sprawl and Grasso ends up on top. Shevchenko advances to side control. Grasso throws up a triangle and kimura from the bottom of side control! Very slick stuff! Shevchenko stays calm and gets her head free. Nice rabbit hammer fists from Shevchenko. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (20-18 Shevchenko overall).

[Sep 15, 2024 at 12:37 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko -- Round 1: A solid left hand over Grasso's guard. Shevchenko throws a fast combo every time Grasso steps in. The champ is relatively unphased by the first blitz but eats the second one. A stiff jab by Shevchenko. Grasso lands a hard punch, Shevchenko punches her way into a takedown. Grasso shoots a triangle and switches into an armbar. Shevchenko postures up and throws some light hammer fists. Grasso escapes. The champ shoots a loose guillotine attempt but nothing on it. Shevchenko lands a good punch from the top position. Grasso shrimps out, Shevchenko takes the back with 10 seconds left. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko.