UFC 306 pre-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili could set numerous records with title win vs. Sean O'Malley

The UFC will make history on Saturday when it puts on the long-awaited, highly-anticipated UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC card at Sphere in Las Vegas.

An event set to pay homage to Mexican Independence Day will featured a pair of championship bouts at the top of the card. [autotag]Sean O'Malley[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) puts his bantamweight title on the line against [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), while women's flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) will take on [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) in the first women's trilogy bout in company history.

For more on the numbers behind both title contests, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie's pre-event facts about UFC 306.

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Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O'Malley

O'Malley is one of eight fighters to hold the undisputed UFC bantamweight championship.

O'Malley is one of two fighters to win a UFC championship after being signed to the promotion through Dana White's Contender Series. Jamahal Hill also accomplished the feat.

O'Malley has earned 13 of 18 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all six of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

O'Malley's six knockout victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (seven).

O'Malley lands 7.67 significant strikes per minute in UFC competition, the second-highest rate in bantamweight history behind Victor Henry (8.34).

O'Malley lands 62 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Umar Nurmagomedov (63.1 percent).

O'Malley landed 220 significant strikes at UFC 299, the single-fight record for a UFC bantamweight championship bout.

O'Malley's nine fight-night bonuses for UFC bantamweight bouts are most in divisional history.

Merab Dvalishvili

Dvalishvili's nine-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Dvalishvili's nine-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is tied with Aljamain Sterling for the longest streak in divisional history.

Dvalishvili has earned 13 of his 17 career victories by decision. That includes nine of his 10 UFC wins.

Dvalishvili's eight decision victories in UFC bantamweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Raphael Assuncao (nine).

Dvalishvili has landed 1,736 total strikes in UFC bantamweight competition are most in divisional history.

Dvalishvili has landed 79 takedowns in UFC competition, the third-most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (90) and Gleison Tibau (84).

Dvalishvili's 66 takedowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are most in divisional history.

Dvalishvili is the only fighter in history to land 10 or more takedowns in four separate UFC bouts.

Dvalishvili attempted 49 takedowns at UFC Fight Night 221, the single-fight record for a UFC bout.

Dvalishvili out-landed Marlon Moraes by 212 total strikes at UFC 266, the largest differential in a single UFC/WEC bantamweight bout.

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Alexa Grasso

Grasso vs. Shevchenko will be the first female fighters to compete against each other three times in UFC competition.

Grasso vs. Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night 227 marked the sixth championship fight in modern UFC history to end in a draw.

Grasso is the only Mexican female champion in UFC history.

Grasso is one of three women’s flyweight champions in UFC history. Shevchenko and Nicco Montano also accomplished the feat.

Grasso is 5-0-1 since she moved up to the UFC women's flyweight division in August 2020.

Grasso's six-fight UFC unbeaten streak in women's flyweight competition is tied for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Manon Fiorot (seven).

Valentina Shevchenko

Shevchenko, 36, is the oldest of the 20 fighters scheduled to compete on the card.

Shevchenko is one of three women's flyweight champions in UFC history. Grasso and Montano also accomplished the feat.

Shevchenko's eight victories in UFC women's flyweight championship fights are most in divisional history.

Shevchenko is 9-1-1 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in February 2018.

Shevchenko's nine victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Katlyn Cerminara for most in divisional history.

Shevchenko's five stoppage victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Gillian Robertson (seven).

Shevchenko's four knockout victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Shevchenko is one of 11 fighters in history to end a UFC title fight with a knockout stemming from a head kick. She accomplished the feat at UFC 238.

Shevchenko is the only fighter in UFC history to earn multiple knockouts stemming from the crucifix position. She accomplished the feat at UFC 247 and UFC 261.

Shevchenko absorbs just 1.88 significant strikes per minute in UFC women's flyweight competition, the best rate in divisional history.

Shevchenko has completed at least one takedown in 15 of her 16 UFC appearances.

Shevchenko's 39 takedowns landed in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Shevchenko lands 68.4 percent of her takedown attempts in UFC women’s flyweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Taila Santos (75 percent).

Shevchenko’s two fight-night bonuses for UFC women’s flyweight bouts are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Molly McCann (three).

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes

Brian Ortega

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has earned 10 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.

Ortega's seven stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied with Ricardo Lamas for second-most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (11).

Ortega's four submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Charles Oliveira (six).

Ortega is the only fighter in UFC history to earn four consecutive third-round stoppage victories.

Diego Lopes

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 21 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four UFC wins.

Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]' (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) 37-second knockout victory at UFC on ESPN 56 marked the fastest head kick finish in UFC lightweight history.

Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osbourne

[autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]'s (12-7 MMA, 4-5 UFC) average fight time of 6:04 in UFC flyweight competition is second shortest in divisional history behind Daniel Lacerda (4:19).

Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from an upkick from bottom position. She accomplished the feat at UFC 279. Jon Fitch and Niko Price have also won with the technique.

Aldana is the only fighter in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from an upkick to the body from bottom position. She accomplished the feat at UFC 279.

Aldana's two knockdowns landed in UFC women's bantamweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (six).

Aldana has landed 959 significant strikes in UFC women's bantamweight competition, the second-most in divisional history behind Raquel Pennington (1,056).

Aldana and Karol Rosa combined for 349 significant strikes landed at UFC 296, the single-fight record for a UFC women’s bantamweight fight.

Aldana has been awarded four fight-night bonuses for UFC women's bantamweight bouts, tied for third-most in divisional history behind Ronda Rousey (seven) and Miesha Tate (five)

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has earned all seven of her UFC victories by decision.

Dumont's five victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are most in divisional history.

Dumont has completed one or more takedowns against eight of her nine UFC opponents.

Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned a Performance of the Night bonus in all three of his UFC appearances.

Torres' three-fight first-round UFC stoppage streak is tied for longest among active fighters in the company.

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is one of 14 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning wheel kick. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 29.

Bahamondes lands 7.08 significant strikes per minute in UFC lightweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Frank Camacho (8.91).

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), 19, is the youngest of the 20 fighters scheduled to compete on the card.

Rosas Jr., at 18, became the youngest fighter in history to earn an octagon victory when he won at UFC 282.

Rosas Jr. has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC 306.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 306 pre-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili could set numerous records with title win vs. Sean O'Malley