UFC 306 Fight Card: Start time, fighters, tickets, venue and how to watch the 'once in a lifetime' PPV event
25/08/2024 14:47
Two world title fights top the UFC 306 bill with Alexa Grasso set to defend her flyweight belt against Valentina Shevchenko, followed by a bantamweight clash between champion Sean O'Malley and surging challenger Merab Dvalishvili.
It's set to be a 'once in a lifetime' PPV with the promotion having reportedly invested some $16 million into the event; get ready for a celebration of Mexican fighting spirit, it's UFC 306.
UFC 306: Fight Card
As per the UFC website, the upcoming PPV will feature the following fights with bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley taking on Georgian sensation Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of the evening.
- Sean O'Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili
- Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
- Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes
- Raul Rosas Jr vs Aorqileng
- Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont
- Manuel Torres vs Ignacio Bahamondes
- Edgar Chairez vs Kevin Borjas
- Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode Osbourne
- Yazmin Jauregui vs Ketlen Souza
- Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics
The official bout order has not yet been confirmed.
UFC 306: Fighters
UFC 306 isn’t just a celebration of Mexican Independence Day, it's also the return of the 'Sugar Show' with bantamweight king Sean O'Malley set to return to title action following his dominant decision win over Marlon Vera earlier this year.
His opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, rides into The Sphere on the back of a 10-fight winning streak; including his last three being unanimous decision wins over three former UFC champions: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo.
Whilst the bout itself should prove to be a fascinating stylistic encounter, fans can also look forward to a heated Fight Week build-up with the pair embroiled in an intense (albeit quite humorous) feud since before O'Malley stopped Dvalishvili's friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling to claim UFC gold.
In the co-main event of the evening, Mexico's own Alexa Grasso looks to defend her flyweight title against the superstar who she wrestled the title away from back in 2023, Valentina Shevchenko.
Following the fourth-round rear naked choke that shocked the MMA world, Grasso and Shevchenko would fight to a draw at last year's UFC Noche rematch; with the upcoming trilogy matchup expected to settle the score once and for all.
The pair are also coming off a highly successful season of The Ultimate Fighter, with both Team Grasso and Team Shevchenko ultimately leaving the competition with one winning fighter each.
Whilst the flyweight title fight is an outstanding one, there'll arguably be more eyes and attention on the featured bout of the evening when Brian 'T-City' Ortega looks to halt the Diego Lopes hype train.
Lopes and Ortega were meant to face each other back at UFC 303, with 'T-City' forced to withdraw from the bout only a few hours before the ringwalk with illness – at the time of writing, Ortega remains the #3 ranked featherweight in the world, with Lopes at the #12 spot.
Elsewhere on the card, we also have the return of young phenom Raul Rosas Jr, who bounced back from his UD loss to Christian Rodriguez with a TKO win over Terrance Mitchell and a submission of Ricky Turcios in his last bout.
UFC 306: Date and start time
UFC 306 is scheduled to go down on Saturday, September 14.
As per the ESPN page for UFC 306, the upcoming event is scheduled to start from 4:30 PM PT, 7:30 PM ET, 12:30 AM BST (Prelims), with the main card kicking off from 7 PM PT, 10 PM ET, 3 AM BST.
The prelims will be available to watch via UFC Fight Pass, ESPN and ESPN+, followed by the main card being a PPV which requires a purchase order via ESPN+.
UFC 306: Venue and location
UFC 306 will take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas, a brand-new venue that features a gigantic LED screen that wraps around almost the entirety of the arena.
According to Dana White, the screen will display the entire history of combat sports in Mexico throughout the event, starting with the 'beginning of time' for the first fight of the night through to 'the future of Mexican combat' for the main event.
Whilst the visuals are expected to be mind-boggling, there has already been some concern that the enormous screen will distract fighters during their bouts.
UFC 306: Tickets
Tickets are still available for UFC 306 and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
Whilst hardcore MMA fans won't want to miss this 'once in a lifetime' event, it should be noted that this will be one of the most expensive events to attend this year; with tickets starting from around $750 and rising all the way to $10,000 per seat.
UFC 306: The story so far
The following will be an ongoing recap of the UFC 306 story so far; the biggest headlines as The Sphere PPV looms ominously over the Las Vegas horizon.
August 22: Sean O'Malley claims that he's got Merab Dvalishvili 'flustered' over their upcoming title fight.
August 21: Dana White furious with 'dumb' Merab Dvalishvili after sharing that he'd suffered a nasty cut during training.
August 7: Conor McGregor chimes into the UFC 306 vs Canelo Alvarez debate by claiming the boxer 'doesn't sell'.
July 31: Brian Ortega admits he's a little concerned over the giant $17 million LED screen distracting him during his fight vs Diego Lopes.
July 31: Sean O'Malley asks the MMA community to rally behind him as UFC 306 clashes with Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga.
July 27: UFC 306 is set to go toe-to-toe with Canelo Alvarez's next boxing fight, on the same night and just down the road in Las Vegas.
July 1: After watching the NFL Draft at The Sphere, Dana White teases UFC 306 will make the event look like 'kids playing with crayons.'
June 24: Merab Dvalishvili enters the US Combat Sambo tournament and wins gold.
June 21: Dana White reveals he's spent more than $16 million to make UFC 306.
May 2: Merab Dvalishvili releases a comedy sketch in which he 'digs Sean O'Malley's grave'.
