Preview: UFC 306 Prelims

UFC 306 should be fascinating, if only for the much-hyped production the Ultimate Fighting Championship plans to put on inside the Sphere on Saturday in Las Vegas, but the matches themselves should make for a good time; and some strange choices in bout order have led to some engaging stuff on the prelims. Two interesting fights bookend the undercard. The top prelim sees Irene Aldana—fresh off a surprising “Fight of the Year” contender against Karol Rosa in December—take on Norma Dumont in a clash that could put the winner in the women’s bantamweight title picture, while the opener serves as the latest test for bantamweight wunderkind Raul Rosas Jr., who draws a winnable but dangerous assignment against Qileng Aori. Other than that, the lineup offers fights that feature some high-upside prospects on the rise, from lightweights Manuel Torres and Ignacio Bahamondes to women’s strawweight Yazmin Jauregui and flyweight Joshua Van.

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Now to the preview for the UFC 306 “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” prelims:

Women’s Bantamweights

#5 WBW | Irene Aldana (15-7, 8-5 UFC) vs. #8 WBW | Norma Dumont (11-2, 7-2 UFC)

ODDS: Aldana (-112), Dumont (-108)

The women’s bantamweight division remains fairly wide open for whoever is able to make a statement, so this well-matched fight could put the winner in a strong position. Aldana did well to overcome a tough start to her UFC career. Regarded as one of the top talents available when the UFC signed her in 2016, the Mexican lived up to the scouting report as an entertaining striker but struggled to keep up with Leslie Smith and Katlyn Cerminara, both in terms of pace and speed. However, Aldana eventually found her level, helped by the development of a bit of knockout power and the fact that she never gets out over her proverbial skis. That has made for some frustrating showings when Aldana cannot find a clear avenue to break the fight open, which included her most high-profile fight to date—a main event title fight against Amanda Nunes in June 2023. Aldana simply never got going out of the gates, losing a one-sided decision in what turned out to be Nunes’ retirement fight. Aldana quickly regained her momentum with a win over Karol Rosa in December. Beyond the result, it was a late entry for the potential best fight of 2023, a tooth-and-nail war that saw Aldana essentially ignore Rosa’s highly successful leg-kicking game and keep marching forward. Aldana looks to keep the good times rolling with a win over Brazil’s Dumont, who appears to be on her way towards affirming herself as a bantamweight contender.

A big part of that is Dumont actually proving she can make the bantamweight limit. Brought in as a featherweight and mostly fighting at 145 pounds, Dumont’s cuts down to 135 pounds went disastrously until she made weight for her fight against Germaine de Randamie in April. Dumont has made a solid adaptation from a straightforward bully to a slow-paced neutralizer over the course of her four years and change under the UFC banner, and now she is typically able to either counter her opponents effectively from range or slow things to an absolute crawl in the clinch. It can be a bit dull at points, but Dumont showed some additional pop in her hands against Chelsea Chandler prior to her win over de Randamie; and while that last victory was a wrestling-heavy slog, it’s also hard to blame Dumont for taking that approach against a decorated striker. The main concern from an Aldana standpoint is that Dumont is strong enough to smother her and grind this out, though that figures to be a tough ask. Aldana has some strength herself, and she’s able to fight back with some violent offense whenever things wind up in the clinch position. Add in that Aldana seems more willing than ever to keep moving forward and landing offense, particularly after the Rosa fight, and the Mexican figures to win this on the scorecards, even if it won’t be a blowout. The pick is Aldana via decision.

Jump To »
Aldana vs. Dumont
Torres vs. Bahamondes
Jauregui vs. Souza
Van vs. Chairez
Rosas Jr. vs. Aori