Recent reports that Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria and Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili will headline UFC 306 at the Sphere in September are not true, according to veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. Or not completely true, to be more specific.
The internet went crazy after the UFC’s French-Canadian broadcast partner TVA announced the two title fights like they were a done deal for Noche UFC. But on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani dismissed the claim and laid out what sources were telling him the second half of UFC’s 2024 pay-per-view schedule would look like.
Helwani clarified that the intention was never for those two fights to headline the Sphere card. He emphasized that at this very moment, that is not the plan. Helwani believes that it was an unintentional error, and regrettably, it spread rapidly and now everyone is accepting it as the truth.
“The intention all along has been to have [Alexa] Grasso defend her title,” he stated. “For a while now, the plan has been to have ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley face off against Merab [Dvalishvili]. Although both fights have not been officially confirmed or signed, that has been the intended course of action.”
If they were to proceed with that fight, the alternative plan would involve Ilia [Topuria] facing off against Max [Holloway], most likely scheduled for the Utah card on October 5th, although it has not been officially confirmed. Additionally, we anticipate Julianna Pena to go up against Raquel Pennington on the same card.
“And then we obviously have Arman [Tsarukyan] and Islam [Makhachev]. Arman, he’s gonna do the PSA. He’s said this, and he’s been verbally told that he is fighting for the belt at the end of October in Abu Dhabi. Then you’ve got the tentative plan being Jon Jones and Stipe [Miocic] in early November at Madison Square Garden. And as of right now, the hope is Conor [McGregor] vs. [Michael] Chandler on that December — I think 14th — pay-per-view.”
Assuming no injuries or unforeseen misfortunes in the world of MMA, we can confidently say that this series of events is quite remarkable. Now, let’s take a closer look at the entire sequence.
- On September 14th, UFC 306 will be held at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The thrilling matchups will feature Sean O’Malley taking on Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexa Grasso’s opponent is yet to be announced.
- Ilia Topuria will face off against Max Holloway, while Raquel Pennington will go head-to-head with Julianna Pena at UFC 307 on October 5th in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- The highly anticipated rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan is set to take place at UFC 308 on October 26th in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- On November 9th, the highly anticipated UFC 309 event will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York. The spotlight will be on the thrilling clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
- The highly anticipated match between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is set to take place at UFC 310 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a date yet to be determined in December.
Helwani reiterated, “Please keep in mind that everything is subject to change. However, that is currently the plan.”
