Merab Dvalishvili wrestles the UFC title from Sean O'Malley

LAS VEGAS – Merab Dvalishvili put an impressive end to the “Suga Show” with a stunning unanimous decision victory over Sean O'Malley, winning the UFC bantamweight title in the main event of Noche UFC at Sphere on Saturday night.

Dvalishvili used constant movement, six takedowns and just over 10 minutes of control time to confuse O'Malley and prevent him from landing any of his fight-winning punches. It was a dominant performance that lacked the fireworks fans expected after witnessing an elaborately staged spectacle.

“I know he was good, but I made him look normal,” said Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC). “I'm the best bantamweight in the UFC.”

O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) defended his 135-pound title for the second time, but couldn't get the fight going except for a few front kicks to the body in the final minutes. Despite scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, Dvalishvili was in control for nearly every minute.

Known for his relentless takedowns and unlimited energy, Dvalishvili went to work almost immediately, securing his first takedown three minutes into the fight, testing O'Malley's resilience. To his credit, O'Malley fought back to his feet, but was soon dragged back to the mat and found himself in a guillotine.

This was a position the 29-year-old O'Malley had never been in during his entire UFC career. The lanky fighter from Montana was used to dictating fights, using his devastating knockout power and pinpoint precision to take out his opponents. But Dvalishvili was a constantly moving target that O'Malley couldn't detect.

A beautiful duck-under takedown opened the second round for Dvalishvili, and he spent much of the round working the champion over with ground and pound. In a surprising moment, Dvalishvili inexplicably released a guillotine choke and walked away with just seconds left in the round. O'Malley took the opportunity to fire off a few punches, but that was all he had.

Rounds 3 and 4 saw a repeat of the same thing, with O'Malley gradually improving his timing but this did not stop the energetic Georgian from scoring a few more takedowns.

The only real drama came in the final moments when a front kick from O'Malley to the stomach appeared to hurt Dvalishvili. Amid cheers from a largely pro-O'Malley crowd, the colorful fighter tried to finish the fight, but it was too little, too late.

O'Malley did not appear at the post-fight press conference, but addressed his loss in a short post on his X-account, writing: “Over-promised, under-delivered. Sorry. Love you guys.”

After starting his career in the UFC with back-to-back losses, Dvalishvili, 33, has torn apart the competition with 11 straight wins without a single judge seeing a fight in his opponent's favor. The win was not only significant for Dvalishvili, but equally important for his teammate, former champion Aljamain Sterling, who was KO'd by O'Malley in 2023.

The loss ended O'Malley's seven-fight winning streak and put an end to his path to Conor McGregor's superstar status. Dvalishvili's first title defense will come against undefeated UFC bantamweight and No. 2 Umar Nurmagomedov.

Dvalishvili's victory capped an event that White promised would be “the greatest live combat sports show anyone has ever seen,” and it was undoubtedly the biggest production in UFC history. The budget for Saturday's event, which took place at the Sphere, a $2.3 billion venue with a massive 15,000-square-foot indoor plane, exceeded $20 million, according to White.

White then said the promotion “showed everyone tonight what is possible at the Sphere” and predicted that the event would bring in a handful of Emmy Awards.

“You can do more here than just concerts,” he said. “You just have to do it right.”

White added: “In 30 years the only thing that has changed in boxing is HD. I always like to push the boundaries and try to improve things. When new technology comes out I try to raise the bar because it should be raised.”

When asked about the notion that Saturday's fights did not live up to the spectacle or production value of the event, White said: “You can put on a $20 million production, but you can't control the fights. They are what they are. I can't let that drive me crazy.”