Noche UFC breaks historic record but makes broadcast blunder, Merab Dvalishvili explains kissing Sean O'Malley, and more: MMA News Roundup
The UFC pulled off an incredible event at The Sphere on Saturday night and delivered on the promise of a jaw-dropping event. The Noche UFC/UFC 306 card saw both belts change hands as well as some other wild moments.
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Noche UFC breaks historic record, sets an example
Dana White and his team spent more than $20 million to pull off a magical, cinematic event at The Sphere in Las Vegas. On the occasion of Mexico's Independence Day, the extraordinary spectacle told the vivid story of the country's history and heritage through stunning, high-end technology-backed visuals.
The prelims and the first half of the main card proved to be at par with the other eye-catching elements of the night. However, the excitement simmered down enough with the co-main and main event for even Dana White to express disappointment at the press conference afterward.
However, both fights saw new champions being crowned, as Valentina Shevchenko finally bested Alexa Grasso to win her flyweight belt back, while Merab Dvalishvili's persistent pressure eclipsed Sean O'Malley.
Take a glimpse at the best moments of the night below:
In a thoughtful gesture, White started the press conference by thanking the firefighters and first responders working in the areas affected by the Davis Fire in Nevada.
He proceeded to share that the live gate for UFC 306 was $22 million, which makes it the highest-grossing UFC pay-per-view in history. The record was previously held by UFC 205 which saw Conor McGregor become the first double champion in the promotion.
Dana White addresses the only error at UFC 306
Noche UFC was supposed to be a "flawless" experience, and it almost reached that mark on Saturday night. The faux pas that caused a snag was a minuscule broadcasting error where the name card at the bottom of the screen read 'Kendrick Lamar' as the camera focused on Terence Crawford.
Addressing the matter during the press conference, White said:
"I don't know who the hell did that. Thought it was, yeah, that was pretty bad. He did kind of look like Kendrick Lamar, though. Let's not f**k around. He kind of did look like Kendrick Lamar. But yeah, that was -- hey, so when I said we had a flawless production tonight, I take that back. There's the one; that was the ... yeah."
White later added that he was appreciative of the boxing personalities who attended the event despite Canelo Alvarez fighting in the same city a few blocks down.
Merab Dvalishvili explains kissing Sean O'Malley
During the closing moments of the second round of the main event, Merab Dvalishvili had Sean O'Malley's neck trapped as 'Sugar' sat against the fence. In a surprising move, Dvalishvili proceeded to land kisses on O'Malley's nape before the Herb Dean separated the two.
O'Malley retaliated by swinging as soon as he was free of Dvalishvili's hold but was intervened by Dean as the round ended.
Speaking to reporters at the press conference, Dvalishvili gave a rather bizarre explanation for his actions:
"I grab his neck. And then, he like, he has ten seconds left. And I know he can wait, and he's not going to go sleep or tap this. And I want to make just a little fun of him, you know... You know, I don't hate the guy; just make fun of him, but same time, give a little kiss to show that I dominate, I control this fight, I break you, you know. That's why I was kissing."
Watch Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (2:40):