This weekend’s UFC 306 card will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The pregame narrative: Sean O’Malley headlines the event with a title defence over Merab Dvalishvili and I’m backing the champ to retain. Earlier on the card, I’m picking Manuel Torres to win his bout against Ignacio Bahamondes.
Check out my UFC 306 picks for September 14.
UFC 306 picks overview
| UFC 306 picks | Odds |
| O”Malley to win | -138 |
| Torres to win | -130 |
Picks made at 11:07 a.m. ET on 09/12/24.
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UFC 306 picks
Best Bet: O’Malley to win (-132)
O’Malley has the fighting style to keep Dvalishvili at range and I predict that will lead to a second title defence for the bantamweight champ.
After all, O’Malley is one of the top strikers in the UFC. He uses his elite footwork to snipe opponents on the feet. He lands 7.63 significant strikes per minute at a 61% clip.
In contrast, he defends 62% of incoming sig. strikes and absorbs a much lower 3.52 per minute. That shows his incredible ability to avoid being hit while inflicting damage on his opponent.
Fans saw that when O’Malley originally won the belt at UFC 292 against Aljamain Sterling with a counter right that floored the former title holder in the early part of round two.
Dvalishvili fights a lot like Sterling, using his fantastic pace and wrestling to stifle opponents. Sterling was unable to get O’Malley to the mat in their fight and that worries me for Dvalishvili’s chances.
He lands 6.43 takedowns per 15 minutes but only succeeds at a 36% clip, per UFC Stats. A lot of his recent success has come against other grapplers like Henry Cejudo.
I don’t see the challenger having the same success pressuring O’Malley. Dvalishvili gives up height, and reach and is much slower than his counterpart. All these variables have me jumping on the side of the striker.
Key Stat: O’Malley is undefeated in his last seven fights.
Other picks
Torres to win (-124): This UFC card will be flooded with Mexican fighters and Torres is one to keep an eye on.
The 29-year-old is entering his athletic prime and has the recent results of a true contender.
Torres has won six fights in a row in the first round and is a dynamic martial artist, winning three by knockout and three by submission.
He hasn’t been fighting bad opponents either. He has first-round finishes in the UFC over Chris Duncan (11-1), Nikolas Motta (13-4) and Frank Camacho (22-9).
His opponent on Saturday, Bahamondes, is 4-2 in the UFC but his wins are much less impressive. When he was matched up against a veteran like L’udovit Klein two fights ago, he lost by decision and looked outmatched skill-wise.
Both these fighters are considered prospects but I think Torres is the better, more dangerous fighter and I’m taking him to win.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.