For the first time in history the UFC will take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend and President Dana White has promised a one in a lifetime experience for those attending.
To celebrate Mexican Independence Day the card is littered with Mexican athletes but the main event will see the UFC Bantamweight title up for grabs as Sean O’Malley attempts to defend his belt yet again against Merab Dvashvili.
We’ve gone through every fight on the main card and offered our thoughts and betting plays below.
Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili
With the absence of Conor McGregor from the octagon for quite some time now, Sean O’Malley has become arguably the biggest star and marketing tool at the UFC’s disposal.
He burst onto the scene through Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2017 and promised his new boss, and fans, he would someday reign supreme as champion of the Bantamweight division.
O’Malley’s prediction came to fruition when he beat Aljamain Sterling via a second round TKO in Boston during August of last year before successfully defending the title, and avenged his only loss, against Chito Vera earlier this year.
Merab Dvalishvili will contend for UFC gold for the very first time and he earns this shot off the back of 10 straight wins in the promotion including victories of Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo.
The two fighters have contradictory styles but as is often the case inside the octagon, this results in an intriguing puzzle that will be pierced together right before our eyes over five rounds.
Merab’s plan of attack should be obvious, as he likely attempts to avoid the dangerous and pinpoint accuracy of O’Malleys striking prowess with his wrestling heavy style.
Getting Sugar Sean to the canvas is no easy feat and I’m predicting the champion will catch his opponent on the way in, and if he can’t finish him, should win the fight via decision.
3 Units Sean O’Malley To Win @ $1.72
Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
Representing her home country on Mexican Independence Day, Alexa Grasso will defend her title for a second time against the same opponent she first achieved that feat.
In fact, this will be the third time in a row that Grasso will enter the octagon against former Women’s Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
The 31-year-old Grasso submitted Shevchenko via a face crank back in March 2023 to claim UFC gold for the first time and retained the belt with a controversial majority draw on Mexican Independence Day last year.
Shevchenko is a future hall of famer with a combat sports resume that few other females can claim.
She was a multiple times Muay Thai champion before entering the UFC where she went on a nine fight win streak that included winning the Flyweight title, and defending it a record seven times.
The Kyrgyzstani will turn 37 in March next year but there are no signs of her slowing down or being outclassed.
The fact is that she has found her match, and although I am expecting another close encounter I am siding with Grasso.
2 Units Alexa Grasso To Win @ $1.72
Brian Ortega vs Diego Lopes
Brian Ortega has been a regular inside the UFC Featherweight Top 5 for many years now and while he has failed in his quest to win UFC gold, he has been in the presepace on a couple of occasions.
He first fought for the title at UFC 231 against Max Holloway in a brutal clash where an incredible 400 significant strikes were landed.
Unfortunately Ortega was on the end of 290 of those blows and the fight was ended via the doctor before the fighters could step out for the fifth round.
The Mexican born fighter had Alexander Volkanovski in a tight guillotine during his second title fight but the Aussie champ found his way out to win a decision.
He pushed aside personal issues that were plaguing his life, as well as injuries, to bounce back to winning form against Yair Rodriguez in February and has his eyes set on gold again.
There may not be a more exciting athlete in the UFC right now than Diego Lopes who comes into this fight off the back of four straight wins, three of which have been via finish.
The 29-year-old Mexican native proved his striking prowess with KO wins over Pat Sabatini and Sodiq Yusuff, and his BJJ black belt skills were on display with a armbar submission win over Gavin Tucker.
With both men having extreme abilities in grappling, I’m expecting this part of MMA to be nullified somewhat and for the fight to be won with the hands.
Both athletes possess good chins and while shouting from the top of the fence I’m stuck on, I’m tipping that the judges will be needed after three rounds.
2 Units Fight To Go The Distance
Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics
Mexican born, but now Las Vegas local Daniel Zellhuber won a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series with a unanimous decision victory over Lucas Almeida.
Fighting out of the famous Xtreme Couture gym, he lost his first fight inside the octagon but has since bounced back with three wins in a row including an anaconda choke submission win on Mexican Independence Day last year.
Esteban ‘El Gringo’ Ribovics is another graduate of the MMA factory that is the Dana White’s Contender Series and he too lost on debut in the UFC.
Two wins in a row, including a vicious head kick KO of Terrence Mckinney, has earned him a place on this main event card and he’ll be looking to continue his rise in the division.
You can expect a fast paced and exciting battle between two exciting young fighters but I’m siding with Zellhuber who I think can manage a finish.
1 Unit Daniel Zellhuber Double Chance – KO/TKO or Submission
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Ode Osbourne
Another up and coming Mexican fighter gets his chance on the big stage in the form of ‘Lazy Boy’ Rodriguez who brings in a 17-2 professional MMA record and a six fight win streak.
He won via submission in his UFC debut and despite his nickname he is constantly looking for finishes, something he has archived right across his career so far.
Hailing from Kingston Jamaica, Ode Osbourne first made his entrance in the octagon in January of 2020 but has gone 4-5 since then including two losses in a row leading into this assignment via submission.
There’s no doubting the power and finishing abilities of both of these men and I’m expecting the judges will not be needed.
2 Units Fight Not To Go The Distance