LAS VEGAS — Merab Dvalishvili put an end to “The Suga Show” with a stunning unanimous decision victory over Sean O’Malley to capture the UFC bantamweight title in the main event of Noche UFC on Saturday night at The Sphere.

Dvalishvili used constant movement, six takedowns and just over 10 minutes of control time to confuse O’Malley and prevent him from landing one of his fight-ending punches. It was a dominant performance that lacked the fireworks fans at The Sphere expected after witnessing a highly produced spectacle of an event.

“I know he was good, but I made him look normal,” said Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC). “I’m the best bantamweight in the UFC!”

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was making his second defense of his 135-pound belt but struggled to find momentum throughout the bout, aside from a pair of front kicks to the body in the closing minutes. Despite scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47, Dvalishvili was in control for nearly every minute of the contest.

Known for his relentless takedowns and unlimited gas tank, Dvalishvili went to work almost immediately, landing his first takedown three minutes into the match and testing O’Malley’s resilience. To his credit, O’Malley fought back to his feet, but was dragged back to the mat shortly after and found himself trapped in a guillotine.

It was a position O’Malley, 29, had not occupied during his UFC tenure. The tall Montana fighter was used to dictating the fight, using his devastating knockout power and pinpoint accuracy to pepper his opponent. But Dvalishvili was a constantly moving target that O’Malley couldn’t pick up.

A beautiful duck under takedown started the second round for Dvalishvili and he spent much of the round working the champion with ground and pound. In a surprise move, Dvalishvili inexplicably released a guillotine choke and walked away with seconds left in the round. O’Malley took the chance to land a few punches, but that was all he would get.

The third and fourth rounds were a rollercoaster as O’Malley began to figure out the timing, but the energetic Georgian was unable to score a few more takedowns.

The only real drama came in the final moments of the fight when an O’Malley front kick to the midriff appeared to hurt Dvalishvili. With a largely pro-O’Malley crowd egging him on, the colorful fighter aimed for a fight-ending sequence, but it was too little, too late.

After starting his UFC career with two straight losses, Dvalishvili, 33, has torn apart the opposition with 11 straight victories, with no judge seeing a fight go in his opponent’s favor. Not only was the win important for Dvalishvili, but it was just as important for his teammate, former champion Aljamain Sterling, who was knocked out by O’Malley in 2023.

The loss ends O’Malley’s seven-fight unbeaten streak and puts a stop to his journey to Conor McGregor’s superstardom. Dvalishvili’s first title defense will come against the UFC’s undefeated No. 2 bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov.