Both UFC belts at risk change hands in Sphere spectacular

Merab Dvalishvilli raised his arms and panned his eyes around Sphere’s all-encompassing high-definition screen as he walked out for his main event bout against Sean O’Malley Saturday night in the $2 billion venue.

O’Malley appeared more focused during his own walkout, mostly looking straight ahead, but surely noticed the cityscape scene in front of him as part of what UFC President Dana White reported was $20 million in production costs.

Sphere’s presentation was inescapable in its live-sporting event debut, and the athletes made sure the sold-out crowd got their money’s worth in what must have been the longest UFC pay-per-view history in the company.

More than four hours had passed since the Riydah Season Noche UFC main card started by the time Dvalishvilli was announced the new bantamweight champion by virtue of a unanimous-decision victory (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) over O’Malley.

“The best fighter doesn’t always win but I’m the best fighter in the cage today,” Dvalishvilli yelled afterwards in his octagon interview. “I proved it….I’m living in my dream.”

Women’s flyweight Valentina Shevchenko shared similar sentiments after she also unseated champion Alexa Grasso in the co-main event.

Both fights seemed equally lopsided in favor of the challenger, but Shevchenko got the more appropriate scores with all three judges giving her all five rounds. The victory closes a trilogy with Grasso, whom submitted Shevchenko in their first fight before the second resulted in a controversial draw.

“Everything about this fight was more satisfying,” Shevchenko said.

The veteran seemed locked in on the task at hand throughout her fight, but also praised Sphere afterwards and called the environment “huge.” Each of the five main card fights took place in a different “world” on Sphere’s panoramic backdrop, with a temple/museum scene of famous Mexican fighters behind Shevchenko and Grasso.

Featherweight Diego Lopes was another fighter who made it a point to take in all of his surroundings before he entered the cage. Like Dvalishvilli, it ended up the precursor to a dominant performance.

Lopes cruised to a unanimous-decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) over Brian Ortega in the evening’s featured bout.

All five main-card fights went to the scorecards with Esteban Ribovics edging Daniel Zellhuber by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) and Ronaldo Rodriguez taking a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27) over Ode Osbourne.

Rodriguez, Dvalishvilli and Shevchenko all used grappling-heavy approaches to claim their victories. Such fights light on striking activity tend to draw boos at other fight cards, but there were few if any at Sphere.

The fights weren’t the main draw Saturday; the venue was. And Sphere wound up as much of a winner as Dvalishvilli and Shevchenko.

“It’s like a dream come true fighting in the Sphere,” Shevchenko said. “I appreciate it so much.”

Read below for live updates from throughout the Riyadh Season Noche UFC card and scroll to the bottom of the page for full results from the preliminary card.

Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvilli

Fifth Round No one lands anything for the first minute. Dvalishvilli starts to throw leg kicks. Then he dumps O’Malley on his back with perhaps his best takedown yet about 90 seconds in. O’Malley finds himself against the cage getting kneed. This is the same position he’s been in countless times now. O’Malley gets out but he’s not in good shape. He gets a straight right to go on the chin of the challenger, who’s still bouncing around with supernatural cardio. O’Malley gets away from a single-leg takedown with two minutes remaining. O’Malley jabs Dvalishvilli and he seems affected. The challenger might have hurt his leg with 90 seconds to go. He’s shooting for single-leg takedowns but O’Malley won’t go down. Dvalishvilli smiles and circles with 45 seconds left. He’s hurt but O’Malley can’t take advantage. Dvalishvilli gets one last takedown for good measure and assurance he won every round. The Sun scores it 50-45 in favor of Dvalishvilli. Official decision: Dvalishvilli defeats O'Malley by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47).

Fourth Round O’Malley comes forward, in a change. There’s no action for the first 45 seconds though. O’Malley lands a stiff right. O’Malley lands a few strikes before Dvalishvilli converts on a double-leg takedown. O’Malley is planted near the middle of the octagon. Crowd boos, hoping for a stand-up. But Dvalishvilli is working, landing ground-and-pound when he can. He’s staying in O’Malley’s guard and not allowing the champion to get anything going. O’Malley works his way to his feet with 1:30 left in the frame. Dvalishvilli keeps pressuring. O’Malley is against the cage and can’t get Dvalishvilli off of him. Dvalishvilli again tries for a guillotine with 30 seconds remaining. It’s another big round for the challenger who tees off in the final seconds. 10-9 Dvalishvilli, 40-36 overall.

Third Round Dvalishvilli swings wildly with both punches and kicks to open but O’Malley is poised. He easily evades. Dvalishvilli works some leg kicks. Fight stays on the feet for the first 90 seconds again before Dvalishvilli shoots for a takedown. O’Malley is down to a knee against the fence. Dvalishvilli completes and gets him down. Then he fires more knees to the body. O’Malley briefly raises his knee up and Dvalishvilli blasts him with a knee to the face. O’Malley goes back to the knee. Dvalishvilli backs up, and they are on the feet in the middle of the cage again. O’Malley is beaten up; Dvalishvilli bounces and looks fresher. O’Malley fires a half-hearted flying knee but Dvalishvilli catches it and cracks the champion’s chin. “Sean is shook,” a particularly loud heckler yells out. It’s hard to disagree. He finally lands a combination and backs Dvalishvilli up. O’Malley turns away a single-leg takedown and lands another punch. Dvalishvilli answers with a hook. The champion has life. It’s an entertaining round but one where the challenger was still better. 10-9 Dvalishvilli, 30-27 overall.

Second Round Dvalishvilli smiling as they re-engage. O’Malley takes a deep breath but seems fine too. Another slow first minute with Dvalishvilli slightly out-landing O’Malley. The champion is hesitant to engage, perhaps for fear of getting taken down. He finally lands a right hand but then Dvalishvilli shoots on follow-up strikes. O’Malley is back on the mat. And Dvalishvilli is heavy on top. O’Malley searches for an arm bar and kicks up, but Dvalishvilli keeps up the pressure. Fight is paused for O’Malley grabbing Dvalishvilli’s glove. Referee Herb Dean issues a warning. O’Malley is defending as well as he can but Dvalishvilli’s ground-and-pound is hurting him. O’Malley covers up and tries to crawl to the fence. This is one-sided through nine minutes. O’Malley gets caught in a late guillotine but there’s not enough time for Dvalishvilli to finish it off. He gets sloppy and backs off, allowing O’Malley to rush him for a few shots at the end of the round. 10-9 Dvalishvilli, 20-18 overall.

First Round Dvalishvilli bounces around the octagon but O’Malley is unbothered. O’Malley throws a couple soft kicks to the body. Dvalishvilli seeks leg kicks. Not a lot going on in the first 90 seconds. O’Malley jabs a few times. Dvalishvilli grazes with a kick to the body. O’Malley’s boxing edge is showing — slightly. Nothing has hurt Dvalishvilli though. Dvalishvilli shoots at about the midway point and gets O’Malley down. O’Malley gets right back up but eats some punches for the luxury. And the champion takes knees to the thigh. O’Malley covers up as Dvalishvilli rains fists against the cage, but the challenger lets him go. They head back to the center. Dvalishvilli wins a striking exchange and deposits O’Malley again. He looks for a choke with 30 seconds to fight. O'Malley isn’t in trouble. He survives but has some work to do. 10-9 Dvalishvilli.

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Fifth Round Grasso stalks Shevchenko to start but the challenger remains in control and dominates distance. First minute goes her way as she closes in on regaining her title. Grasso stuffs Shevchenko takedown attempt. Grasso clinches up first. They go to the ground and scramble but Shevchenko denies Grasso from taking her back. They bounce up and Shevchenko hits Grasso with a classic one-two punching combination. Shevchenko isn’t playing it all that safe. She’s winning again. She pushes Grasso into the cage with about two minutes left. Shevchenko gets Grasso back down. It lasts about a minute before they go back to the center of the cage. Shevchenko hip tosses Grasso in the middle of the octagon. It wasn’t the most entertaining fight but it was dominant. The Sun scores the co-main event 50-45 in favor of Valentina Shevchenko. Official decision: Valentina Shevchenko defeats Alexa Grasso by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).

Fourth Round Shevchenko kicks to the body, and then aims for the head to start the round. Grasso turns away the latter. Grasso winds up on her back again. She’s trying for a guillotine. It looks like it might be locked in, as the referee checks on Shevchenko. She keeps punching Grasso to the side to show she’s awake. Grasso won’t let the squeeze go for more than two minutes. Shevchenko finally pops out. Grasso must be gassed after pouring so much energy into that submission attempt. Shevchenko may not feel great either depending on her positioning during the choke. Now the challenger is going for her own submission — an arm triangle. Grasso turns out of danger. Shevchenko’s heavy top position is too suffocating for Grasso. 10-9 Shevchenko, 40-36 overall.

Third Round Neutral striking for the first two minutes. Grasso begins to land left hands and Shevchenko shoots for a takedown. It’s not there. She gets it with another attempt about 30 seconds later. It’s back to the position where most of this fight has taken place with Shevchenko laying on top of Grasso, who’s desperately trying to create offense from the bottom. Shevchenko is doing more though, and won’t let Grasso up. Grasso again takes a risk and lets Shevchenko have her back with 10 seconds to go. There’s not enough time to capitalize on the position. 10-9 Shevcehnko, 30-27 overall.

Second Round Shevcehnko wins a small exchange on the feet, and then dumps Grasso on her back again. More pressure from the challenger whose not letting the champion mount any offense. It’s a repeat of the first round as Grasso’s Hail Mary attempt to do something is a half-baked armbar. Shevchenko is safe and passes into side control. Then Shevchenko takes her back — but only for a second. Grasso scrambles and gets up, much to the crowd’s delight. Shevchenko gets her back down. She gets into side control but Grasso takes her arm. Crowd pipes up for a shot at the kimura but Shevchenko is safe. Grasso has been active off her back but it’s not enough to win rounds. 10-9 Shevchenko, 20-18 overall.

First Round “Grasso” is the early chant. Grasso lands the early strike. Shevchenko gets the biggest one in the first minute though, a flush left hand to Grasso’s chin. Shevchenko wins the first exchange too, and then converts on a takedown. Shevchenko pressures Grasso for a couple minutes before the champion starts to seek an armbar. It’s not there and she switches to a guillotine. Similiarly, it’s not there. Shevchenko gets a big elbow to go. Grasso gives up her back in the final seonds knowing Shevchenko doesn’t have much time to do anything with it. 10-9 Shevchenko.

Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega

Third Round Crowd cheers as they meet once again but Lopes is playing it safe. He knows the only way he can lose this is if Ortega finds a miracle finish. First exchange comes about 75 seconds in. Both land but Lopes is crisper. Ortega is finding his range with his jab. Lopes answers on occasion but he seems content to eat some of Ortega’s pitter-patter punches. Ortega shoots for a takedown and Lopes uses the fence to help him stay up. It’s impressive Ortega is still coming forward after how the fight started but he’s still in a big hole with 90 seconds to go especially after Lopes lands his best strikes of the round and then clinches. Ortega’s eye is swelling back up. Lopes finds Ortega’s chin with about 25 seconds left. Ortega is dropped again. Lopes goes for a choke with Ortega downed but can’t get it. He pieces him up one last time at the bell. The Sun gives Lopes another 10-8 round so he wins 30-25 on our scorecard. Official decision: Lopes beats Ortega via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

Second Round Ortega jabs and looks fresher after his first-round beating. First big exchange scores for Lopes though. Lopes continues to win on the feet but isn’t really hurting Ortega, who shoots for a takedown after about two minutes. Lopes shakes it off. They’re fighting at range and Ortega is evading Lopes’ biggest shots. Ortega lands a couple at the midway mark. Then he catches a Lopes kick. Right when Ortega seems to be doing better, Lopes drops him again with a right hand. Ortega wants Lopes to follow but he refuses. Ortega might not have even been hurt but trying to get Lopes on the ground. Either way, he’ll need a finish in the final round. 10-9 Lopes, 20-17 overall.

First Round Lopes hurts Ortega almost immediately. He staggers the veteran, then drops him along the cage. Ortega recovers but gets dumped on the mat. Ortega wants to grapple. Lopes is raining ground-and-pound strikes on him. Lopes tries to let Ortega up, but the grappler doesn’t want to strike with him. He welcomes Lopes back into his guard. Lopes constricts on his side and rains more ground-and-pound. Lopes briefly attempts to get in mount before standing back up. Ortega is taking a lot of damage. He finally gets up as Lopes wants. Ortega’s left eye is swelling back in the center of the octagon where they trade. Ortega is safe from being stopped as the fight goes on but Lopes is still clearly winning the striking. Ortega’s eye is nasty. 10-8 Lopes in the first.

Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics

Third Round Ribovics fires out swinging. Zellhuber stays patient. Ribovics breathes a bit hard and Zellhuber sees opening, landing a one-two. Zellhuber drops Ribovics with a right. Ribovics scrambles back to his feet even as Zellhuber looks to go to the ground with him. Referee pauses the fight after an eye poke by Zellhuber. Ribobvics takes a breather and comes out refreshed to say the least. He catches Zellhuber and begins swinging away. Crowd is on their feet and Zellhuber might be out on his. Zellhuber refuses to go down but Ribovics is punishing him. It’s a fire fight with 2:30 to go. Can Zellhuber recover? He’s wobbly but swinging back. Zellhuber finds some success. Ribovics retreats. What a fight. This will wind up on Fight of the Year lists. The trading continues with Ribovics getting the best of it at the one-minute remaining mark. “Mexico” chants fill the arena but Zellhuber will need more than that. Wild exchange at the end to top it off as both fighters get a standing ovation. Ribovics wins 10-9 and takes it 29-28 on the Sun’s scorecard. Official decision: Esteban Ribovics defeats Daniel Zellhuber by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Second Round They both come at each other with more purpose to start this frame. Zellhuber’s countering and timing is better, but Ribovics remains the agressor and might be getting more damage done. Big exchange sees Ribovics answer a kick/straight right combination with a hook to the jaw. Zellhuber might have a small cut on his nose. Zellhuber comes on a bit as the round draws inside the final two minutes. Ribovics keeps throwing but not much is landing. Zellhuber lands a kick to the body to go with a buffet of jabs. Ribovics recovers. It’s another razor-tight round. Zellhuber is landing cleaner. He’s getting kicks to the body to go too. 10-9 Zellhuber to lock the score up at 19-19.

First Round Ribovics comes forward and establishes himself as the aggressor early. Zellhuber begins to work his straight right to neutralize the fight. Zellhuber’s defense is strong but Ribovics is getting past it at times. Zellhuber answers with a combination. There’s been nothing to separate either fighter midway through the round. Ribovics has started to whiff a lot. Zellhuber is connecting. Ribovics comes forward and hits a combination to the body with 1:45 left. Ribovics takes a little control but Zellhuber lands a knee and starts working his kicks. Ribovics comes in and Zellhuber counters. Big exchange in the final 10 seconds. This could have gone either way, but 10-9 Ribovics.

Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne

Third Round Pace has slowed considerably. Osbourne jabs in the first minute; Rodriguez mostly stays defensive. They exchange on the feet for the next two minutes with Osbourne perhaps having an edge in total strikes but Rodriguez landing a couple of the harder shots. Osbourne pursues a takedown and gets it at the midway point. Rodriguez pops right back up. Osbourne stays pressuring. This is a really close round that could make for interesting scorecards. Osbourne converts on a single-leg takedown that could be huge. Rodriguez threatens an arm bar and gets up. This may come down to the final minute. Osbourne misses a haymaker, Rodriguez sprawls but can’t work his way to Osbourne’s back. He rains late ground-and-pound but was it enough to win the round? So close. Rodriguez wins a decision on the Sun’s scorecard, 29-27. Official decision: Ronaldo Rodriguez defeats Ode Osbourne by unanimouus decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).

Second Round Osbourne grazes Rodriguez with a combination before the latter rushes in for a takedown. Osbourne drops down and tries for a guillotine. Rodriguez sweeps to get out of it and then takes Osbourne’s back. This would be quite the comeback as Rodriguez now has a dominant position and is raining punches. Osbourne is turtling up. Elbows are tearing up the underdog. Referee kneels to get a closer look. Rodriguez gets into mount. Then he takes Osbourne’s back. He’s got a rear-naked choke attempt, but it’s not tight enough. The finishing threat dies off in the final half of the round, but Rodriguez was close earlier. A 10-8 score for Rodriguez in the second round puts him up 19-18 overall.

First Round They exchange wildly to start, and the underdog Osbourne clips Rodriguez. Rodriguez goes down, and Osbourne follows him there. He locks in a triangle choke and knees from the bottom. Rodriguez throws strikes to show he’s still conscious. He breaks out of the hold, and settles into Osbourne’s guard. Rodriguez regains his bearings and lands some elbows. The crowd pipes up with two minutes remaining as Rodriguez has some success. Osbourne answers with hammerfists and elbows from bottom. They ride out the rest of the round in the same position. 10-9 Osbourne in the first.

Pre-main card

The night UFC President Dana White has played up as the biggest in his promotion’s history is under way.

Five preliminary bouts at Riyadh Season Noche UFC have been completed in Sphere’s first-ever live sporting event — full results are available at the bottom of the page — with five more main-card fights to come beginning in the next few minutes.

The UFC has already showed off the $2 billion venue’s world-class production capabilities with jaw-dropping visuals and all-encompassing sound all the way down to seat-specific speakers. But it’s saved its best for last, and will unleash even more bells and whistles for the pay-per-view portion of the event.

Everything will lead up to one of the UFC’s most anticipated fights, a bantamweight championship bout between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvilli. O’Malley is the fan favorite and was also the betting favorite for much of the week, but that’s changed on fight day.

Money has flowed in on Dvalishvilli, who’s now most commonly a -115 (i.e. risking $115 to win $100) favorite with O’Malley coming back at -105. It’s the closest-priced fight on a card full of them.

In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is holding as a light -125 favorite with trilogy challenger Valentina Shevchenko coming back at +105 (i.e. risking $100 to win $105).

Featherweight riser Diego Lopes is a -175 favorite over mainstay Brian Ortega in a featured bout rescheduled from UFC 303.

A pair of fighters who have trained in Las Vegas, Daniel Zellhuber and Ode Osbourne, are featured in the first two pay-per-view contestants.

Zellhuber takes on Esteban Ribovics in what’s expected to be one of the more stylistically exciting matchups on the card, originally known as UFC 306. Osbourne could similarly provide fireworks up against herladed prospect Ronaldo Rodriguez.

Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for updates from throughout the main card and look below for full results from the undercard.

In one of the bloodier fights in UFC history, Norma Dumont destroyed Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The Brazilian opened a gaping cut on the Mexican's forehead in the second round, and rode that damage to a runaway victory.

Iganacio Bahamondes knocked out Manuel Torres at 4:02 of the first round in their lightweight bout. Bahamondes punished Torres, dropping him about a minute before the landing the final, decisive punch.

Women's strawweight Ketlen Souza, a 4-to-1 underdog, pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the year in dominant fashion. Souza dropped Yazmin Jauregui with a left hook and then followed the heavily-favored Mexican fighter to the mat and choked her unconscious at 3:02 of the first round.

In a wild Fight of the Night candidate, Joshua Van outlasted Edgar Chairez to take a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a flyweight bout. Both fighters had their opponents on the verge of a stoppage at different points, but Van applied more damage in the second round and was fresher in the third round.

Raul Rosas Jr. didn't get the stoppage he craved in a bantamweight bout to open the card, but the local fighter still outpaced Aori Qileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The stand-up portions of the fight were fairly even, but Rosas dominated on the ground as advertised even though he could never fully sink in a submission attempt.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or