UFC 306 odds, predictions, time, Vegas fight card: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili picks, props from MMA expert

SportsLine's Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC 306 fight card featuring Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili from the Sphere in Las Vegas

By CBS Sports Staff

Sep 14, 2024 at 7:45 pm ET • 3 min read

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UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will try to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 on Saturday night at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dvalishvili last fought in February, while O'Malley is coming off a decision win at UFC 299 in March. O'Malley is the -125 favorite (risk $125 to win $100) in the UFC 306 odds, as he aims to defend his title.

Saturday's main card begins at 10 p.m. ET, while the prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET. Other bouts on the UFC 306 fight card include Alexa Grasso (-130) vs. Valetina Shevchenko (+110) in a flyweight showdown and Brian Ortega (+150) vs. Diego Lopes (-180) in the featherweight division. Before making any UFC 306 picks or entering any UFC prop bets on sites like PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, or Sleeper Fantasy, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.

Vithlani made his SportsLine debut in January 2023 and swept the main card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 record and has been a consistent winner ever since. Over the past 13 UFC pay-per-view events, Vithlani has gone 10-6 on main-card picks and his selections in that span have netted his followers a profit of more than $1,200.

His highlights include predicting an upset for Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Poirier (+190) against Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili on deck, Vithlani has studied the UFC fight card from top to bottom and released his top selections. You can only see those picks at SportsLine.

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili preview

O'Malley is looking to continue piling up the wins as he defends his title on Saturday. He squared off against Aljamain Sterling for the UFC Bantamweight Championship in Aug, 2023, and seeks to keep the momentum going. O'Malley is 18-1 and is able to show so many different looks.

He can piece together an impressive striking game. The 29-year-old can attack from both stances and finds a way to get his opponents to lower their hands so he can strike. O'Malley has 12 KOs, nine first-round finishes and one submission win.

As for Dvalishvili, he can do so many different things to keep his opponents off-balance. The 33-year-old likes to use single-leg snatches and is in attack mode when his opponents get taken to the ground. Dvalishvili is very energetic and is fast on his feet. He owns a 17-4 record, including 10 straight wins. See UFC 306 picks at SportsLine.

UFC 306 predictions

We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC 306 picks here: He is backing Daniel Zellhuber (-190) to get the victory over Esteban Ribovics (+160) in a lightweight match. Zellhuber has won three straight matches with one coming by submission and two with unanimous decision. He has a nice repertoire that includes kicks, knees and punches that weaken an opponent throughout the course of a match.

Meanwhile, Ribovics is coming off a win against Terrance McKinney by TKO on May 11. That fight lasted 12 seconds but connected with five significant hits. He will still be aggressive in this fight and will walk forward throughout. He lands 6.2 significant strikes per minute and lands 52% of hits.

"This should be a striking affair, and Zellhuber's 8-inch reach advantage could make things difficult on Ribovics. Both fighters are durable, and this one could go into deep waters. Consider Zellhuber by decision in the prop market," Vithlani told SportsLine. Get more UFC 306 picks at SportsLine.

How to make UFC 306 picks

Vithlani has strong picks for O'Malley vs. Dvalishvil and other bouts on the UFC 306 card. He's also backing an underdog who is "extremely active and continually improving" to emerge with a huge victory. Those picks and his full analysis are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvil, and which UFC props should you target? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $1,200 on UFC main-card picks, and find out.