UFC 306 – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Brian Ortega reacts to UFC 306 loss: ‘I’ve got to make some moves to get better’

A swollen Brian Ortega speaks about his UFC 306 loss for the first time.

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] had a rough outing at UFC 306. Four days later, he’s already thinking about what he can change to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“Face is a little bit swollen, lip is a little bit swollen,” Ortega said as he showed off his battle wounds in a recently posted Instagram story. “Obviously, the eye was crying for a bit, but it is what it is. I’ll be crying blood for a bit. Leg is swollen. I’m putting some cream on it.”

Physical wounds aside, Ortega said he’s spent time pondering how his unanimous decision loss to Diego Lopes at Sphere in Las Vegas played out. As his body heals, Ortega continues to work through planning how to go about things differently for his next outing.

“We’re good mentally, physically,” Ortega said. “Nothing is broken. Like I said, the prayer for me was just get me out of this fight without any surgery or things like that. We’re doing good. I did have some time to reflect obviously. I’ve got to make some moves to get better. That’s it. But I’m very thankful for you guys. The amount of love and support and messages. Thank you, guys – for real. To guys like me, it means a lot.”

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Ortega, 33, falls to 1-3 in his most recent four outings after a 15-1 start to his professional career. He’s challenged for UFC gold on two occasions, coming up short against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. Ortega has teased a move to lightweight, so a new weight class could be in the cards for him.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Aljamain Sterling: To say Sean O’Malley looked flat vs. Merab Dvalishvili ‘makes no sense’

Aljamain Sterling rubbishes the claim that Sean O’Malley looked flat at UFC 306 because it takes away from Merab Dvalishvili’s win.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] rubbishes the claim that [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] looked flat at UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was taken down six times en route to a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in Saturday’s title-fight headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas.

UFC CEO Dana White said he thought O’Malley looked flat, and Sterling is bothered to see credit being taken away from his good friend and training partner. He thinks O’Malley has fought stationary targets for the most part in his career.

“I know people are trying to say that O’Malley looked flat. I think that’s the narrative that Dana was trying to push,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “If I’m being fair, if you look at his fights, his track record of all the guys he’s beaten, they were all punching bags for the most part. … I give credit where due. He was well prepared, but to say he looked flat makes no sense.

“The opening bell when he’s coming out with those feints, those hip twitches that he does so well where he’s shaking off to the side, shaking off to the other side and then looking for those long strikes, he came out exactly like Conor McGregor did against Khabib. Now I gave Merab that same exact look, coming out with the fingers, long, trying to hit the feints and trying to go to the body, trying to go up top.”

Sterling lost his bantamweight title to O’Malley by knockout at UFC 292, so he was able to give Dvalishvili some insight on how to fight him. Sterling is also convinced that O’Malley was told about fighting at Sphere before Dvalishvili, which he says did not make it a level playing field.

“Merab finally got his fair shake. He got a fair fight, although O’Malley probably knew about the Sphere fight before Merab did and had more time to prepare,” Sterling said. “When they announced it for Merab from what I remember, they called him, it was exactly eight weeks.

“Now come on, once again we’re trying to put this ball in the court where he (Merab) has to now scramble around like, ‘OK, I’m fighting here. I’ve got to get all these training partners, make sure everything is dialed in.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Dana White: No way UFC could’ve known about Sean O’Malley’s hip injury before UFC 306

Dana White says he doesn’t know how doctors could’ve possibly figured out that Sean O’Malley was injured before UFC 306.

LAS VEGAS – According to [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], there’s no way he or the UFC could have known about [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s injury prior to UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s Noche UFC main event at Sphere. O’Malley was taken down six times and controlled for more than 10 minutes of the fight.

O’Malley later revealed that he tore his left labrum in his hip 10 weeks out from the fight, and he is scheduled to undergo surgery on Oct. 3. White was asked how the UFC could prevent fighters from competing injured moving forward.

“If these guys come in and they have something that we don’t know, I mean, how would the doctors check for a torn labrum? You know what I mean? You can’t,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie after Dana White’s Contender Series 72 at the UFC Apex.

White insists that O’Malley looked flat and said a lot of others noticed that, as well.

“Literally everybody reached out to me that night and said Sean O’Malley didn’t look like himself,” White said. “He didn’t look explosive, he didn’t look, you know, all the same stuff we were all saying that night. Not to take anything from Merab, but I mean everybody felt that way.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Sept. 17: New No. 1 in two divisions after UFC 306 title changes

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 306, which featured two titles changes at Sphere.

It’s not often two major championships change hands on the same night, but that’s what went down this past Saturday at UFC 306.

The historic event at Sphere in Las Vegas saw [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] claim the UFC bantamweight title from Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision in the main event, while [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] recaptured the women’s flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexa Grasso in their historic trilogy fight.

Dvalishvili and Shevchenko were both entered fight week as No. 2 in their respective divisions against the No. 1. That changed with the result, and now the new UFC titleholders have their rightful No. 1 spots.

There were also other results that impacted the rankings, such as Diego Lopes’ dominant win over Brian Ortega in the featherweight division.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Photos: Best imagery from inside Sphere at UFC 306

Check out these breathtaking images from inside Sphere in Las Vegas during UFC 306.

Check out the best images of the inside of Sphere in Las Vegas during Saturday’s UFC 306, also known as Noche UFC, the promotion’s celebration of Mexican Independence Day (via Getty Images).

Ketlen Souza wanted to play spoiler against Yazmin Jauregui at UFC 306, and it went to perfection

Ketlen Souza picked up the first $50,000 bonus of her UFC career with a first-round submission upset at Sphere in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag] beat Yazmin Jauregui with a first-round technical submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Souza, who picked up the first $50,000 bonus of her UFC career for the upset.

Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui

Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Yazmin Jauregui of Mexico (red gloves) fights Ketlen Souza of Brazil (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Result: Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:02
Updated records: Souza (15-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Jauregui (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Key stats: Souza was an underdog of around 4-1 and got her first submission win in 6.5 years.

Souza on the fight’s key moment

“My intention was to come and spoil the Independence Day (celebration) for Mexico, and I’m glad I got the victory. … That was the intention – to come out quickly, and we executed this strategy and happy we got the win.”

Souza on taking a low blow from Jauregui

“This was actually the first time that I got hit that way. I didn’t realize it hurt so bad, but it’s something that doesn’t happen that often. I don’t know. It’s just normal, I guess. As far as I know, there is no protection for women on the genital area, but I think maybe it could be a change (for uniform rules for women).”

Souza on fighting at Sphere

“You know, The fact that it’s something unique, maybe it’s something that we never see again, maybe there might not be another UFC event at the Sphere, so I’m very happy to be part of it and very happy with the win I got.”

To hear more from Souza, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

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Kamaru Usman urges UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili to embrace Umar Nurmagomedov challenge

Kamaru Usman thinks Umar Nurmagomedov is the perfect opponent to elevate UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili’s profile.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] believes [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is the perfect opponent to elevate UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]’s profile.

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) dethroned Sean O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) to claim the bantamweight title in a dominant decision win in Saturday’s UFC 306 headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Even though the camera panned to Nurmagomedov during his post-fight octagon interview, Dvalishvili refused to acknowledge him. He insists Deiveson Figueiredo is the more worthy contender.

Usman pointed to his rivalry with Colby Covington, which brought out the best of him. He thinks Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) could do the same for Dvalishvili.

“Merab is not afraid, but I know he’s worried about a guy like Umar, and sometimes those are the guys that really put you on that next level,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Merab might come out there and look like freaking the best we’ve ever seen.

“So I needed that dance partner. Colby Covington gave me that, and so that’s what Merab – at this point, I think if I had any advice for Merab, it’s to embrace that. It’s to embrace that. You’re right. When they did ask him that question, he kind of danced around it.”

Henry Cejudo suggests Nurmagomedov is bad news for Dvalishvili.

“Merab knows. Merab has a respect for Umar, and I personally just think he’s in trouble,” Cejudo said. “With all due respect, I respect the fact that one, he beat me, and then two, that he came on our show. But if you don’t fight a guy like Umar, the UFC is going to make you fight a guy like Umar. Your career as a champ is pretty much done.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Sean O’Malley to undergo hip surgery following UFC 306 title loss to Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley shed light on an injury he suffered well before his title-fight loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is going under the knife.

The former UFC bantamweight champion will get hip surgery early next month and is expected to be out of commission anywhere from six months to a year. O’Malley revealed the news in an interview with popular streamer Adin Ross following his championship loss at UFC 306.

“I have surgery on Oct. 3,” O’Malley said. “I tore my left labrum in my hip. That’s the only reason I’m going to be out for so long. This surgery should only take two months to come back from, then a couple of months recovery, so a year is a long time. It could be six to eight months. But you never know. … UFC won’t be the same without me.”

O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) said he suffered the injury about 10 weeks ago but still went through his training camp for his second title defense in Las Vegas this past Saturday. “Suga” went on to lose a dominant decision to Merab Dvalishvili in a performance UFC CEO Dana White called “flat.”

The loss to Dvalishvili snapped a seven-fight unbeaten streak for the 29-year-old O’Malley. It was also his second career defeat, as he had only lost to Marlon Vera, a defeat he avenged at UFC 299 in March.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Henry Cejudo calls Sean O’Malley’s win over Aljamain Sterling ‘a fluke,’ rips UFC 306 judges

Henry Cejudo threw plenty of shade toward Sean O’Malley after UFC 306.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is throwing plenty of shade toward [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] after UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s Noche UFC headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas. Cejudo picked Dvalishvili to win and gloated about his accurate prediction. He also thinks O’Malley got lucky in his title-winning knockout of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

“What can I say? I predicted these things,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Sean is not accustomed to going five rounds, and he is not accustomed to people on his legs, and I just felt like – I still go back and say, ‘Hey, that fight with Aljamain Sterling, that was a fluke too.’

“Aljamain was still in that fight, and people thought I was just hating. No, I’ve been in there with Merab. I did a whole lot better than Sean did when I fought Merab. I mean, I took down Merab. Like, Merab is lucky that I had that groin injury.”

Cejudo was flabbergasted by two judges scoring the fight 48-47 in favor of Dvalishvili. He doesn’t think O’Malley won a single round.

“You have to be careful, man. These judges need to pay for what they do,” Cejudo said. “Where is the accountability on some of these guys? Some of these guys have been boxing judges for years. Sometimes I wonder what the hell they’re looking at, but at the same thing Dana says ‘don’t leave it in the hands of the judges.’

“That scorecard is absolutely ridiculous, I don’t know what round Sean even won. Maybe the fifth? Because he hit him to the body, but he did get taken down at the end, and he did get beat up on bottom. Maybe give him that one, but other than that, that was a 50-45 slaughtering. Talk about being controlled.”

Cejudo plans to drop back down to flyweight but reiterated that he’d stick around at bantamweight if O’Malley is willing to fight him.

“I personally would love to fight him,” Cejudo said. “I think with all the trolling that we have done to each other, we both live in the same city, but I just don’t think that he’s going to want to fight me particularly right after this performance that Merab did to him.

“Merab was lucky that I was hurt in that fight. … Moving forward, if Sean O’Malley is willing and wants to fight this troll who’s the true king of Arizona, well then here I am. But if not, I’m making my way back down to 125 pounds because I’m not going to waste my time.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Ignacio Bahamondes lauds champ Belal Muhammad for training expertise ahead of UFC 306 win over Manuel Torres

Ignacio Bahamondes beat Manuel Torres with a first-round TKO and picked up a second straight $50,000 bonus.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] beat Manuel Torres with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Bahamondes, a training partner of welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in Chicago.

Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres

Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Manuel Torres of Mexico (red gloves) fights Ignacio Bahamondes of Chile (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Result: Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:02
Updated records: Bahamondes (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Torres (15-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
Key stats: Bahamondes got a finish for the second straight fight – and a second straight $50,000 bonus.

Bahamondes on the fight’s key moment

“My coach told me do it like we drilled that thing with Belal Muhammed so many times – him running at me, throwing wild punches, me stepping back, looking for the angle, and throwing the killer right hand or left hand, whatever side I choose. So we trained that. He knew he was going to be there, and I put all my faith in him.”

Bahamondes on his toughness

“I’m Chilean. I’m built different. All the Latinos can handle it. I’m Chilean and I’m strong. I’m faster. I’m smart, too. Whenever I’m in danger, I know how to survive, and that what Chileans do when they’re in trouble – and we always keep fighting. Never give up, get up and keep going forward.”

Bahamondes on what he wants next

“Whenever the UFC would like me to go, (I’ll be ready). They said something about January. I’m 100 percent down. I’m going to be ready. I’m going to keep training, keep getting better, and every time you see me there, you’re going to see a better (fighter).”

To hear more from Bahamondes, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

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