One of the biggest and best thematic cards of the year will take place at the ‘Sphere’ in Las Vegas. Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, who are non-Mexicans but superstars, will be the top bill at the Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view headliner. Ahead of this, they got heated, with Alexa Grasso in tow.
Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley did a promotional photo op with top contender Merab Dvalishvili recently. It was part of the late-hour announcement for the Noche UFC, right before last week’s UFC 304 card. After the photo op, ‘Suga’ and Dvalishvili disagreed on the origins of his disdain involving coach Tim Welch.
You said you wanna fight him, after the [our] fight…You have a problem with him, He’ll kill you, y’know…If you have a problem with him, you can take it up with him, He’ll fight you, if that’s what you want… You want to die? That’s what you’re saying? He’ll kill you. There’s a reason there’s a weight class, is there not?
Sean O’Mallley during Noche UFC Promo shoot; H/T: SBNation Network, 🎥: @ufc on X
No, cute-as-button Alexa Grasso wasn’t part of the scuffle. Her gaping wide reaction, though, only adds to the anticipation that is the rebranded Noche UFC (UFC 306). When the three-parter Fight Inc: Inside the UFC docuseries came out on The Roku Channel — it proved how Aljamain Sterling was cued into a fight with ‘Suga.’ While tensions were already high, UFC’s ‘Muted’ No-Commentary videos (@UFC) caught Tim Welch red-handed.
I will smash O’Malley inside the cage and then smash his coach outside of the cage .
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) May 8, 2024
Turns out, Red Hawk MMA’s Welch had mimicked to be Sterling’s corner, guiding him in. Aljo mistakenly leaned into O’Malley’s fateful right hand, which is how he lost his bantamweight gold. Mean ‘Machine’ Dvalishvili vowed vengeance for making a mickey out of his friend. He publicly wanted to fight Welch as recently as May. While out of pocket, this just adds to the UFC 306 lore! It makes the pricing worth it.
Words aside, both Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili have proven their exact worth in the 135-pound class. O’Malley, 29, last beat Marlon Vera in Miami. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili last defeated Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision at UFC 298. Alexa Grasso and former titleholder Valentina Shevchenko battle in a trilogy feature co-main event.
Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, Alexa Grasso, and others spark dynamic ‘Sphere’ pricing (Source: X/UFC.go.com/heavy.com)Grasso, a Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX native, is a clear fan-favorite draw. Her feature title fight was part of the first Noche UFC. While earmarked for Mexican Independence, the ‘Suga’ Sean – Georgian machine duo has what it takes to pull off a PPV mega event at ‘Sphere.’ Then comes the ‘Las Vegas ‘Sphere’ itself with USD 17M input into the LED-paneled marvel. Hence, Noche UFC 306 is inclined toward more dynamic pricing so that customers can enjoy it at all levels and prices.
#UFC306 aka Noche UFC is gonna sell out in a hurry. Presale started today.
You can see the set up based on the ticket map for how the Sphere will be laid out in September. The second map shows where fighters walk out, etc. pic.twitter.com/OHrR5VzqaC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 29, 2024
Pre-sale tickets opened on Ticketmaster (Monday, July 29, 2024), with Noche UFC seats ranging from $3,000 to $12,000. Now scarce, Ticketmaster listings have UFC 306 tickets in price categories of $5,007.50 (main level, center sections); $5,007.50 (terrace center level); $4,007.50 (main level side sections, and so on.
As of scribbling this, tickets ranged between $2,157.50 and $17,507 before fees. The ability to vary ticket prices based on demand is an option many organizations and artists use. Hence, it is called ‘Dynamic pricing.’ With the ‘Sphere’ having the shape for usual concerts/entertainment segments, it allows for dynamic scaling in prices for all categories of gate buys. Affordable economy pricing, posh pricing, VIP blocks: Noche UFC (UFC 306) will have it all.
