FanSided MMA contributor's UFC 306 predictions

UFC 306 is set to be the biggest fight card the UFC has ever seen (if you ask Dana White). The Noche UFC card will take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas and will be a love letter to the Mexican people as a celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

Headlining the card is a bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Sean O’Malley who is taking on Merab Dvalishvili. In the co-main event, a trilogy fight goes down between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. We grabbed some of FanSided MMA's contributors to give their thoughts on both fights, which can be found below.

Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili predictions

Dvalishvili presents a significant challenge for O'Malley due to his relentless pressure and offensive wrestling, which have overwhelmed his opponents and contributed to an impressive 10-fight win streak. O'Malley, however, will aim to counter Dvalishvili’s style by timing his strikes effectively to keep Dvalishvili on the back foot. The key to victory for the champion lies in preventing Dvalishvili from establishing his rhythm in the matchup. O'Malley has demonstrated that he is one of the UFC's elite strikers, possessing the power to knock out anyone, and Dvalishvili is no exception. It's reasonable to assume that Dvalishvili may become frustrated while trying to find an opening against the much taller O'Malley. He may experience a similar fate as Sterling, getting caught by a perfectly timed countershot while attempting to close the distance.
Prediction: Sean O’Malley by Round 3 TKO
By Amos C. Mina

Dvalishvili is undoubtedly a major threat to the champion in the grappling department, after making easy work of O'Malley's toughest opponent Petr Yan and dominating former double champ and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, we likely see the challenger secure some ground control early on in the match. However, I believe O'Malley and his team are more than prepared for the grappling as it is glaringly obvious that it is almost the only area where Dvalishvili presents a threat to the champion. With only a single knockout victory in the UFC and only one submission win in his entire career, Dvalishvili has struggled to secure finishes in his 12-fight stint within the organization. After seeing fighters that Dvalishvili has defeated find early success on the feet, O'Malley will likely look to pick his shots at distance, though I expect him to be cautious about throwing kicks so as to not provide his opponent with opportunities to take him down. O’Malley will likely look to land a knee as Dvalishvili is shooting for a takedown, and if it is anything like the knee landed on Marlon Vera at UFC 299, I believe O'Malley will be able to find the finish before entering the championship rounds.
Prediction: Sean O'Malley by TKO/KO, Round 2
By Dylan Wayne

O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili is a fight where we will watch the UFC cardio king take on the UFC’s current golden boy. Dvalishvili on paper is coming off a more impressive run for this title opportunity. Many have had him a lock for champion over the last few years, and have bashed him at times for not fighting teammate and former champ Aljamain Sterling when he was a clear-cut No. 1 contender for the 135-pound title. Dvalishvili’s bread and butter is his bottomless gas tank and his strong pressure takedowns. O’Malley has shown high-level striking abilities with big power that has put down some of the best that he has fought. An area of O’Malley’s abilities that we haven’t seen too much of, and seems to be vastly underrated, is his ground game. During his career, we have seen a focus on keeping the fight on the feet to find that highlight knockout, but he has shown his preparedness to fight off takedowns and has a grappling resume outside of the UFC that shows he is comfortable on the ground. Dvalishvili, stylistically, has all the tools to beat O’Malley, however, I believe we see a very strategic fight from the champion. Dvalishvili’s path to victory would be getting control of O’Malley’s legs to score a takedown and ground control. However attempting that multiple times, successfully, over the course of five rounds may be a lot easier said the done due to O’Malley’s size and abilities. I believe we see O’Malley use his length and height advantage to keep Dvalishvili away enough to slow down his takedowns while peppering him with shots to outpoint him standing.
Prediction: Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision
By Jim Hassett

O'Malley and Dvalishvili are two fighters in their primes who are on winning streaks. A well-rounded, pressure-heavy, cardio machine will meet a high IQ, hard-hitting sniper. Both have an obvious path to victory, but the fight will come down to who can find a way to implement it. O'Malley seems more likely to win with his game plan due to Dvalishvilli having bad defense, while likely not being 100 percent due to his recent eyebrow cut and alleged staph infection. O'Malley will have a performance similar to Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez.
Prediction: O'Malley via TKO/KO, Round 2
By Ethan Collins

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko prediction

For this third fight, it’s safe to say these women are both on level playing fields against one another, with both having high-level skills and being extremely familiar with each other’s styles. For that factor, I tend to lean in favor of the younger fighter here to come out victorious. Grasso has been in the cage twice now with Shevchenko, and that aura Shevchenko had at her peak shouldn’t be weighing on Grasso’s mind. Grasso knows she can stand toe to toe with Shevchenko, so she should be coming in fully confident and prepared for a fight. Schevchenko might do enough to warrant one judge scoring the fight her way, but ultimately I see Grasso, the younger fighter, getting the nod after a more dominating and concise performance from the last encounter they had.
Prediction: Grasso by split decision
By Jim Hassett

This time, whoever comes out on top will likely close the chapter on their rivalry. Grasso has proven to be a formidable opponent for Shevchenko, showcasing her crisp boxing and grappling prowess. Conversely, Shevchenko is equally dangerous, possessing elite Muay Thai skills and solid ground techniques. These two women will likely go tit for tat throughout the full five rounds, with Shevchenko bringing an added intensity to push forward and keep Grasso at bay. Shevchenko will need to tap into the shades of her previous dominance and avoid letting Grasso dictate a back-and-forth pace; otherwise, it could result in another close decision from the judges.
Prediction: Shevchenko by unanimous decision
By Amos C. Mina

Grasso and Shevchenko are 1-0-1 as Grasso won the first fight by fourth-round submission in a major upset at UFC 285 while they went to a draw at Noche UFC. Shevchenko was winning the first fight until the finish and should have won the second fight if it were not for one bad judge. Despite that, Grasso has more room to improve in skill in this trilogy while having the youth advantage over Shevchenko. She can finally make her takedown defense on point while landing the knockout blows she needs.
Prediction: Grasso via TKO, Round 3
By Ethan Collins

Entering the first trilogy bout of her career, I believe Valentina Shevchenko will look to put an end to this saga with Alexa Grasso in a way that silences all doubters. After some controversy surrounding the scorecards in their last bout resulted in a draw between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso, the former champion knows that this may be her final shot at a title as long as Grasso is holding the belt. Shevchenko will look to remove that variable this time around, though I expect her to remain calm and collected throughout the fight as to avoid making mistakes that could result in another submission loss similar to the one that caused her to lose the belt to Grasso in their first fight. Many fans believed that Shevchenko did enough to win back her belt in their last match-up, and I think this time around she's going to really push the pace in the later rounds and look to finish the champion on the feet before the final bell.
Prediction: Shevchenko by TKO/KO, Round 5
By Dylan Wayne