As advertised, UFC 306 at Sphere provided fight fans -- both in attendance and watching at home -- a dynamic experience, featuring short films, holograms and much more. But more importantly, the event created new champions, new contenders and memorable fights.
Dubbed Noche UFC in honor of Mexican Independence Weekend, UFC 306 was the first combat sports event at Sphere in Las Vegas and featured many Mexican fighters. The fight card was headlined by a men's bantamweight title fight between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili controlled the bout for all five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win and claim the belt.
In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the women's flyweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win of her own over Alexa Grasso. It was Shevchenko's first win since June 2022. Her past two fights were a loss and split draw against Grasso, respectively.
Here's what the next move should be for the new champions and other top stars of UFC 306:
Merab Dvalishvili, men's bantamweight
Who should be next: Umar Nurmagomedov
There's no debating this one. Nurmagomedov's fight against Cory Sandhagen last month was essentially a No. 1 contender fight, and Nurmagomedov cruised to victory. He has been somewhat of an uncrowned No. 1 contender for a while, if there is such a thing. The UFC, media and fans are incredibly high on Nurmagomedov's ceiling. It's always felt like just a matter of time before he gets a title shot. He should get one now against Dvalishvili, and even considering Dvalishvili's win streak and impressive performance against O'Malley, Nurmagomedov will likely be considered the favorite.
Wild card: Deiveson Figueiredo
Figueiredo doesn't have much of a chance to get a title shot before Nurmagomedov -- but he's in the conversation because Dvalishvili has been adamant that he would like to face Figueiredo first. That's all well and good, and the champion's opinion on who they'd like to fight carries some weight, but not much in this case. Dvalishvili is a new champion and the UFC already has its sights set on Nurmagomedov as the next contender.
Sean O'Malley, men's bantamweight
Who should be next: Cory Sandhagen
Immediately after O'Malley's loss, I saw speculation that it would be a difficult path for him back to the championship. I don't necessarily agree with that.
O'Malley's star power took a hit with this loss. That part is real. This was the highest-profile fight of his career and his performance was very flat. But once the dust settles, he's still one of the biggest names in the UFC, which means his path to a title shot will always be quicker than most. This was also, really, his first loss. My apologies to Marlon "Chito" Vera, but O'Malley's argument that his loss to Vera was a fluke was somewhat validated by his dominant win in the rematch. I could see a world in which O'Malley is only one win away from getting back into a title fight, and that one win would come against Sandhagen, who is still highly ranked. Plus, this would be one of the best stylistic matchups in the entire division. I'll be surprised if O'Malley's next fight is against anyone other than Sandhagen.
Wild card: Henry Cejudo
O'Malley has always expressed confidence in a potential matchup against Cejudo. While the 37-year-old Cejudo is in the twilight of his career, a win over someone like O'Malley could catapult him into one last title run. And these two have had a little bit of history over the years. If it's not Sandhagen for O'Malley, then Cejudo is the next most likely opponent.
Valentina Shevchenko, women's flyweight
Who should be next: Manon Fiorot
It wasn't the most exciting way to end the first trilogy in UFC women's history, but it didn't need to be. Shevchenko did exactly what great fighters do -- she took a matchup that had been competitive for nine rounds and turned it into a blowout in the final five. This was the kind dominant performance we might have expected from a generational talent and a lifelong martial artist. Order has been restored at 125 pounds for now, as the greatest flyweight in the history of women's MMA has reclaimed the throne. And now, it's back to next woman up, which is Fiorot. There will be no rest for Shevchenko, as Fiorot represents as much of a threat as Grasso did.
Wild card: Maycee Barber
This is just an insurance plan, really. If something were to happen to Fiorot and the UFC needed a replacement, it would probably be Barber, who is on a five-fight win streak and still coming into her own at just 26 years old. It's worth it for Barber to stay ready just in case, but unless something unforeseen happens, this is Fiorot's title fight.
Alexa Grasso, women's flyweight
Who should be next: Maycee Barber
I always run into this issue when playing matchmaker: The UFC does not like pairing a fighter coming off a loss with one coming off a win. Especially when both are highly ranked. But I don't see any other option for Grasso that makes sense. Barber has been on a tear and is starting to look like the title prospect we thought she'd be years ago when she first came into the UFC. Her last loss was in 2021, to Grasso. I think Barber needs one more win to get a title shot, and there aren't many women ranked ahead of her. This is the right fight for the division.
Wild card: Loser of Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas on Nov. 2
If the UFC is set on finding Grasso an opponent who is coming off a loss, this would be the way to do it. Whoever loses will obviously take a hit in their title hopes, but would still be relevant in the division. And Grasso hasn't faced either of them. If the UFC doesn't do the Barber fight, I'd put my money on Grasso fighting the loser of this one.
Diego Lopes, lightweight
Who should be next: Max Holloway?
This is a tough one, because it might depend on what happens in the title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26.
If Holloway wins, then Lopes could jump the line and get a title shot right away. Alexander Volkanovski deserves an opportunity to reclaim the belt, but I believe the UFC will be reluctant to book him against Holloway, since we've already seen it three times. If Holloway is champ, it will be tempting to book him against Lopes, because that's a supremely entertaining matchup. The UFC has enormous respect for what Volkanovski has done, but Lopes is hot right now and if UFC CEO Dana White balks at the idea of a tetralogy right away at 145 pounds, it wouldn't surprise me.
Wild card: Arnold Allen
If Volkanovski does get his title shot -- either against Topuria or Holloway -- then it's hard to envision Lopes waiting around for the winner. That could be a pretty long time. At that point, Allen would make sense. Allen is coming off a good win against Giga Chikadze, and that's another stylistically pleasing fight.
Brian Ortega, featherweight
Who should be next: Beneil Dariush
Ortega had plans of moving to lightweight before this Lopes fight, and I imagine he'll now revisit them. Ortega is coming off a lopsided loss here, but he's still a two-time title challenger, and it just felt like he was done at 145 pounds anyway. I don't have a problem elevating him to a highly ranked fight right away. Dariush is 35 and has been winless since October 2022. He's a well-known name, as is Ortega, and this matchup would garner plenty of fan interest, despite their recent struggles. The grappling matchup would be sick to watch.
Wild card: Winner of Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis on Sept. 28
Again, I have no problem throwing Ortega straight into the fire. If the UFC wants to give him someone outside of the rankings, that's fine, but it's not necessary. I'm interested to see where he stacks up in this new division right away. Why wait?
Moicano used to fight at featherweight, and has found success at lightweight. Saint Denis looked impressive until he ran into Dustin Poirier earlier this year. Ortega against either one would tell us a lot about the division, and it's the kind of fight that could headline a UFC Fight Night or help bolster a pay-per-view main card.