UFC 306: Five Things We Learned

UFC 306: Five Things We Learned

UFC 306 went down at the Las Vegas Sphere. The venue’s uniqueness brought massive levels of intrigue and anticipation to the event. On fight night, the Sphere did not disappoint. The fight did, however. The main event and co-main event were uneventful. Thankfully, the undercard and preliminary bouts delivered entertainment. Let’s dive into the wild night that was UFC 306 with the five biggest lessons we learned during the event.

The Las Vegas Sphere is an elite sports venue

One of the highlights from UFC 306 was the venue itself. The event was a celebration of Mexican combat sports. The UFC production team used the screen to tell a story about the Mexican fighting spirit perfectly. That gave the event life between the fights. Additionally, the screen was used to help show the ‘Tale of the Tape’. It was an amazing venue to watch on television. It must have been a spectacular event to watch live.

The UFC set a high standard for the Sphere. If another live sports event goes to the venue, there will be high expectations.

It will be a challenge for the UFC to top UFC 306. Still, it is worth a try. The promotion will have to find a different angle for the hypothetical event; however, it is worth a shot. It does not even need to be anytime soon. The UFC could wait a few years to return and it would be understandable.

Merab Dvalishvili uses his cardio and wrestling

The story of the UFC 306 main event can be summarized with cardio and wrestling. Merab Dvalishvili used those traits to beat Sean O’Malley and win the UFC bantamweight title.

This was a strong performance from Dvalishvili. It was evident that his game plan was working early. On the feet, he utilized a lot of movement which made it difficult for O’Malley to find a big shot. Furtermore, he dropped his typical amount of takedown attempts but increased his efficiency. This also helped him to stay safe. This grappling-heavy approach helped tax O’Malley’s cardio and take the sting out of his punches.

It is not a secret that Dvalishvili has great wrestling and cardio. It has been consistently proven that his nickname, ‘The Machine’, is accurate. Nonetheless, it was a positive to see his strengths come to fruition in a championship bout.

Sean O’Malley has improvements to make

O’Malley was on the wrong side of a grappling and cardio clinic in the UFC 306 main event. That said, his career is not finished. At 29-years-old, he has the time to make the necessary adjustments.

It does not take a genius to see where O’Malley needs to improve. In the grappling realm, he needs to make improvements across the board. This includes his takedown defense and get-ups. Despite not being submitted, he should be on his submission defense too. O’Malley should be thankful Dvalisahvili did not attempt more submissions. Lastly, O’Malley needs more grappling cardio. I do not doubt his ability to strike for 25 minutes, but his cardio is drained much quicker when put in uncomfortable positions on the ground.

Unfortunately for O’Malley, the bantamweight division is filled with strong grapplers. This includes Dvalishvili, Umar Nurmagomedov, Deiveson Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, and others. If he wants to reclaim the belt, he needs to show serious grappling improvements. Otherwise, he will be regulated to a perennial top-ten fighter who gets in fun striking-based bouts. That is not a bad career, but it is a downgrade in comparison to being a champion.

Valentina Shevchenko takes the path of least resistant

The UFC 306 main event put a clear ending to the Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso rivalry. It ended with a dominant decision win for Shevchenko.

This bout was a shocker. Not in a good way, either. Essentially, Shevchenko was landing takedowns with no resistance and Grasso was attempting submissions off her back. Shevchenko defended the submission attempts and won the fight based on her control time.

In all honesty, Shevchenko did not do anything spectacular. Over the course of three rounds, she did not do much damage. Grasso just did less to separate herself.

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Esteban Ribovics is a strong lightweight prospect

From a fight perspective, Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber stole the show during the UFC 306 main card. It was a sensational fight between two interesting lightweight prospects. Ultimately, Ribovics picked up the victory and deserves respect for his performance.

In this fight, Ribovics showed what makes him a strong prospect. For three rounds, he walked forward and forced boxing exchanges. In those moments, he had success at times while Zellhuber landed shots of his own. Still, that was his path to victory. If he had sat on the outside, Zellhuber would have smoked him with jabs and kicks.

The third round of this fight was one of the most entertaining rounds of the year. In the early moments, Zellhuber landed a sensational elbow while Ribovics crashed the pocket. The Argentinian recovered and landed a big overhand a few minutes later. That shot hurt Zellhuber badly, but the Mexican endured an offensive onslaught and began to throw back.

This was a great fight. I doubt it will be the last we see from Ribovics. At 28, he has years of entertaining fights left in the tank. It would be a treat to see him fight fellow entertaining lightweights.

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