Recent reports that Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria and Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili will headline UFC 306 at the Sphere in September are not true, according to veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. Or not completely true, to be more specific.
The internet went crazy after the UFC’s French-Canadian broadcast partner TVA announced the two title fights like they were a done deal for Noche UFC. But on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani dismissed the claim and laid out what sources were telling him the second half of UFC’s 2024 pay-per-view schedule would look like.
“There was never a plan to have those two fights headline the Sphere card,” Helwani said. “And as of right this second, that is not the plan … I think it was an honest, erroneous mistake. And unfortunately, it went viral and now everyone’s taking it as fact, as gospel.”
gonna do the PSA. He’s said this, and he’s been verbally told that he is fighting for the belt at the end of October in Abu Dhabi. Then you’ve got the tentative plan being Jon Jones and Stipe [Miocic] in early November at Madison Square Garden. And as of right now, the hope is Conor [McGregor] vs. [Michael] Chandler on that December — I think 14th — pay-per-view.”
That’s a pretty impressive run of events, provided injuries or other MMA misfortunes don’t ruin things. Let’s take a look at that all laid out:
- UFC 306 – September 14th at The Sphere, Las Vegas – Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, Alexa Grasso vs. TBA
- UFC 307 – October 5th in Salt Lake City, Utah – Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena
- UFC 308 – October 26th in Abu Dhabi, UAE – Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2
- UFC 309 – November 9th at MSG, New York – Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
- UFC 310 – December TBD in Las Vegas, Nevada – Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
“All subject to change,” Helwani repeated. “But that’s the plan as of now.”
