The Noche UFC main card has finally been announced, with a title fight double header at the top of the bill.
The card, which is set to pay homage to Mexican Independence Day will go down at The Sphere, Las Vegas on September 14 and will go down as part of the Riyadh Season.
In the main event, ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley will look to defend his world Bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley’s rise to stardom started in 2017 when he got a first round knock out against Alfred Khashakyan to claim his UFC contract. Since then, the champion has been on a tear, remaining extremely active with his title shot ultimately coming at UFC 292, when he faced Aljamain Sterling. It was O’Malley’s biggest challenge but the 28-year-old took it in his stride and collected the 135lbs strap with a second round stoppage.
Dvalishvili enters the contest riding a 10 fight win streak, with his last three wins coming against three former champions in Jose Aldo, Petr Yan & Henry Cejudo.
The co-main event will see Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko will meet for the third time in as many outings, with Grasso's Flyweight title on the line.
The women were coaches on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter and as so often happens upon the conclusion of the show, the coaches meet inside the octagon.
Grasso took the title from Shevchenko, at UFC 285, handing 'Bullet' her first defeat in 10 bouts. The two then met again six months later, in another equally entertaining contest that ended as a split decision draw.
Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes has been rebooked for the special night in The Sphere. The pair should have squared off back at UFC 303 but after Ortega first missed weight, then fell in on fight night, he was pulled from the card and Lopes ended up facing Dan Ige on just a few hours notice.
Lopes is one of the biggest rising stars in the promotion with the Brazilian, prior to the Ige bout, finishing all three of his prior wins in the UFC within the first 100 seconds of the bout.
Daniel Zellhuber and Ronaldo Rodriguez will be flying the flag for Mexico, on what is a special day for the country, when they meet Esteban Ribovics and Ode Osbourne, respectively.
Other bouts already confirmed for the card, via ufc.com, include Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng, Irene Aldana vs Norma Dumont, Manuel Torres vs Ignacio Bahamondes and Edgar Chairez vs Kevin Borjas.
