According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, UFC 306 will see bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley face off against Merab Dvalishvili at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Alexa Grasso will face Valentina Shevchenko for the women's flyweight title, while Diego Lopez will take on Brian Ortega.
O'Malley will be looking to defend his title for the second time after avenging his previous loss with a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 on March 10.
With the win over Vera, O'Malley improved his record to 18-1-0, including 12 knockouts. The 29-year-old O'Malley won his first bantamweight title at UFC 292, defeating Aljamain Sterling by TKO.
Dvalishvili is currently on a 10-fight winning streak, with wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. The 33-year-old boasts a record of 17-4-0, with his most recent win coming against Cejudo at UFC 298.
Dvalishvili has had his sights set on a match against O'Malley, joking about digging his future opponent's grave in a May 1 Instagram post.
“I wouldn't be surprised. He's very confident and I have some skill, so I might be able to knock him out,” Dvalishvili said, via MMA Fighting's Drake Riggs on March 12. “I'm improving, I'm training, and I think I can knock O'Malley out.”
O'Malley has previously criticised Dvalishvili, saying there was “multiple ways” to beat his next opponent.
“Merab is next,” O'Malley told MMA Junkie in March. “He got his wish. A lot of people said I was avoiding him. I'm really not avoiding the little guy. I like this fight for me. There's more than one way to win. I'm finally excited about this fight.”
The two fighters are confirmed to be fighting on September 14th in Las Vegas.
