O'Malley-Dvalishvili, Grasso-Shevchenko title fights headline Noche UFC

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will defend his belt versus Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas, Dana White announced Friday.

The UFC president added that a women's flyweight title fight between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko will co-headline the card in a trilogy bout. The blockbuster pay-per-view event will also feature a featherweight fight between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes.

O'Malley will be defending his belt for the second time. He claimed the UFC bantamweight championship with a win over Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and earned a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March.

Dvalishvili is the top-ranked bantamweight and has won his last 10 Octagon appearances, most recently beating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February.

Shevchenko, the former champ, faced Grasso twice last year but failed to beat her rival on both occasions. Grasso submitted Shevchenko in March 2023 at UFC 285 before they fought to a split draw in November.

Ortega and Lopes were scheduled to fight each other on June 29 at UFC 303, but the former withdrew due to an illness. Dan Ige stepped into that co-main event on just hours' notice and suffered a unanimous decision loss to Lopes, the No. 12 featherweight on a four-fight win streak.

Noche UFC - also known as UFC 306 - will take place at Sphere in Las Vegas.