Everything is bigger in New York. And it happened again Saturday as the UFC makes its annual trip to Madison Square Garden for UFC 322. A pair of superfights contribute to the (now) former champions making weight in their pursuit of glory in the second division. In the main event, Islam Makhachev will move up from lightweight to welterweight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the 170-pound title. In the co-main, Weili Zhang will move up from strawweight to flyweight to take on Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound crown.
Makhachev is on the short list of the best lightweight fighters in UFC history along with his mentor and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev set the record for most division title defenses before deciding to move up 15 pounds to compete for the second division crown. If he wins on Saturday, he will also tie Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history with 16.
Standing in his way is Della Maddalena, who is something of an unheralded champion after earning the title in his last fight against Belal Muhammad. “JDM” is undefeated in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2022 and has a unique skill set that could worry Makhachev.
Weili dominated the women's strawweight division before retiring Mackenzie Dern gets vacated belt at UFC 321. For the second time as champion, she defeated Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez. She is now seeking to end Shevchenko's second reign at women's flyweight, which Shevchenko began after ending her streak with former champion Alexa Grasso.
There will be plenty of interesting fights on Saturday night that could have huge implications for the division's prospects. In particular, Saturday night will be a major welterweight event. Sean Brady is hoping to hold on to his spot and possibly move closer to his first title shot when he faces fast-rising Michael Morales. Brady, currently ranked No. 2 at 170 pounds, came close to that elusive opportunity in 2022 when a stunning TKO loss to Belal Muhammad sapped his momentum. But Brady bounced back strongly with three wins in a row, including submitting former champion Leon Edwards in his last outing. He now faces Morales, who is currently ranked eighth, as one of the hottest fighters in the sport. Morales hasn't lost in the UFC since leaving the Contender Series in 2021, going 6-0 with four knockouts. In May, he knocked out former title challenger Gilbert Burns, earning him his second Performance of the Night bonus.
Below is the full UFC 322 fight card, along with the latest odds. Stay tuned throughout the week for the latest news, features and other content related to this massive event.
UFC 322 fight card, odds
Odds via Bookmaker DraftKings
- Islam Makhachev -285 (c) vs. Jack Della Maddalena +230, welterweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko -135 (c) vs. Zhang Weili +115, women's flyweight title
- Sean Brady -130 vs. Michael Morales +110, welterweight
- Carlos Prates -175 vs. Leon Edwards +145, welterweight
- Benoit St. Denis -180 vs. Beneil Dariush +150, lightweight
- Bo Nickal -205 vs. Rodolfo Vieira +170, middleweight
- Gregory Rodriguez -185 vs. Roman Kopylov +154, middleweight
- Erin Blanchfield -258 vs. Tracy Cortez +210, women's flyweight
- Malcolm Wellmaker -155 vs. Cody Haddon +130, Bantamweight
- Kyle Daukaus -425 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +330, middleweight
- PATBATININI -130 vs. Chepe Marikala +110, featherweight
- Fatima Cline -520 vs. Angela Hill +390, women's strawweight
- Baysangur Susurkaev -1050 vs. Eric McConico +675, middleweight
- Matheus Camilo -162 vs. Viacheslav Borshchev +140, lightweights
UFC 322 tournament information.
- Date: November 15
- Location: Madison Square Garden – New York
- Start time: 10:00 PM ET (Main Map)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 322 countdown
Who will win at UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachevand how exactly does the battle end? Visit SportsLine now for detailed forecasts and analysis from the peerless expert who has won over $1,500 in his UFC main card picks and find out.
