Post-UFC 306 rankings update: Sean O'Malley kicked far down P4P rankings with Merab Dvalishvili's debut, Diego Lopes sees meteoric rise at 145 pounds
The UFC recently updated its official rankings following Noche UFC 306, which took place this past weekend at the Sphere, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili dethroned Sean O'Malley to become the new bantamweight champion.
'The Machine' set the tone from the opening bell, overwhelming O'Malley with relentless takedowns and controlling the majority of the fight. His constant pressure gave the former champion little room to find his rhythm, allowing Dvalishvili to stifle him en route to a unanimous decision victory.
According to a recent report by MMA journalist John Morgan, Dvalishvili's title win earned him a significant boost in the pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings. He was previously unranked, but following his dominant performance at Noche UFC 306, he skyrocketed to the No. 7 spot in the P4P rankings. Meanwhile, O'Malley saw a sharp decline, dropping seven places to No. 13.
As a result, former champions Sean Strickland and Charles Oliveira each slipped down one position, while newly minted welterweight champion Belal Muhammad surged to No. 5 in the latest P4P rankings.
In the co-main event of Noche UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko recaptured her flyweight title with a dominant showing against Alexa Grasso in their trilogy clash. 'Bullet' skillfully evaded every significant submission attempt from Grasso and used well-timed takedowns to dominate and control her opponent for most of the fight, ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory.
Shevchenko climbed two spots to reclaim the No. 1 position in the women's P4P rankings, overtaking Grasso, who dropped two places following her loss. Additionally, Natalia Silva, fresh off her victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 97 earlier this month, moved up one spot to claim the No. 13 position in the rankings.
Noche UFC 306 also featured a potential featherweight championship eliminator between former two-time title challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes. 'T-City' struggled to find his rhythm throughout the fight and was nearly finished by Lopes in the opening round. From that point on, Lopes took control and secured a decisive decision win.
Lopes saw the biggest surge in the updated 145-pound rankings, catapulting 10 spots to secure the No. 3 position. Meanwhile, Ortega and Arnold Allen both dropped two places. Additionally, Josh Emmett, Aljamain Sterling, Calvin Kattar, Giga Chikadze, Lerone Murphy, and Bryce Mitchell each slipped one spot.
Where will the UFC’s next PPV event be held following Noche UFC 306?
After the conclusion of Noche UFC 306, the next pay-per-view event, UFC 307, is set to take place on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The fight card will feature two title bouts. In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will put his belt on the line against Khalil Rountree Jr. Meanwhile, the co-main event will feature women's bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington, who will defend her title against former titleholder Julianna Pena.