Madison Square Garden is one of the world's largest combat sports stages. Show up here and the world will take notice. Islam Makhachevnew UFC two-division champion, and Valentina Shevchenkothe undisputed queen of the flyweight division, did just that.
They weren't the only ones. Fan Favorite Carlos Prates again in the championship picture, just like Michael Moraleswho was not scared by the veteran Sean Bradyreceiving a first-round knockout and the respect of New York.
Makhachev is better at welterweight
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Islam Makhachev won the welterweight title after winning the main event
Islam Makhachev becomes the new UFC welterweight champion after training in wrestling.
Makhachev said he would be better at 170 pounds, but of course I wanted to see it before I believed it. What will the fighter say? that he will worst in a new weight category? Makhachev told me a few weeks ago that he felt like he was 60-70% himself at lightweight due to the drastic weight cut. It seemed possible, but really? Will it really be 40% better against larger competitors? I would say that after one fight the answer will be yes.
Makhachev destroyed Jack Della MaddalenaFront leg with kicks for two rounds. He beat JDM with the same efficiency as he did in the lightweight division. He looked strong, well prepared, healthy all week. It wasn't Della Maddalena's most inspiring performance – I think even he'll say that at some point – but that doesn't take away from how good Makhachev looked. He'll be tough to beat at welterweight, which is what we expected.
What we weren't sure about was whether he would actually be better than he was at lightweight, and now I feel good saying that he is. The number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world just got better. We really saw Makhachev only in part of himself. For this reason, I am very glad that he is at welterweight and will not be returning anytime soon (probably never). This is Makhachev's best weight category. — Brett Okamoto
Shevchenko kept her distance at the top
Go ahead and submit this to the “They have weight classes for a reason” department. Zhang Weili. Size made a huge difference, of course, but it wasn't the only reason Zhang, who vacated the strawweight title to take on this challenge, wasn't successful.
The most significant factor influencing the situation was indeed Shevchenko’s ingenuity. She fought a fight that left Zhang no chance. Of course, she bullied her opponent in many of her five takedowns, allowing her to outpace Zhang for long stretches of time (13 minutes 24 seconds time control). But when Shevchenko wasn't on top of Zhang, she strategically stayed at a distance where the smaller fighter couldn't touch her. Zhang reached double digits in scoring in just one round.
While Zhang didn't do any damage, Shevchenko did a lot. She battered her opponent's body with kicks and knees, weakening Zhang's resolve to close the distance. And in doing so, Shevchenko also shattered any fans' expectations that this meeting between the No. 1 and No. 2 women in the weight classes would be a classic clash.
Going into the fight, there was a strong case to be made for calling it the highest level UFC women's fight since she became bantamweight champion. Amanda Nunez challenged Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title. In that 2018 superfight, Cyborg made the mistake of going toe-to-toe with the faster Nunes and paid for it with a knockout in 51 seconds. Shevchenko made no mistakes in her approach to this fight and executed her game plan brilliantly.
The next smart move would be for Zhang to lose weight again and regain the 115-pound gold. Shevchenko is 37 and won't fight for too long, but Zhang is 36 and can't outlast her flyweight winner. After the fight, Zhang made no commitment to either remaining at flyweight or moving back down to strawweight. But she demonstrated the character that made her one of the greats when she said, “Zhang Weili is someone who falls and gets up again.”
We hope we get to see her do it at the weight where she is at her best. Zhang didn't make it on Saturday, but he remains an elite pound-for-pound…and the best strawweight fighter on the planet. –Jeff Wagenheim
Morales is the biggest threat in the welterweight division.
When Morales received a UFC contract for the 2021 Dana White Contender Series, he did so without the buzz that other alumni generated. And over the next four years, Morales defeated everyone who stood in front of him. However, the hype surrounding the Ecuadorian fighter, who lives in Mexico, has died down. But after what Morales did to Sean Brady at UFC 322, he can no longer be ignored.
For the third fight in a row, Morales did not allow his opponent to advance to the second round. Morales dealt with both Neil Magny And Gilbert Burns in the first round with relative ease. But Brady should have been the real litmus test for whether Morales is a contender or a challenger.
He passed this test with honor.
Morales didn't allow Brady to do anything of note, taking just over three minutes to TKO him. Doing it on a stage as grand as Madison Square Garden was impossible to miss, especially with the welterweight title on the line two fights later. At 6 feet tall and with a 79-inch reach, he's intimidating in the division. Knowing what to do with these physical attributes is a whole different story.
The 26-year-old Morales is a professional player who is equally destructive on the ground as well as standing up. In the Brady fight, he refused to let the wrestler get inside and easily fought him off with his reach and power. He's young, smart and a nightmare for the rest of the division. He wants a title shot and it's hard to say he doesn't deserve it.
If you look at the crowded welterweight picture, it's hard to see a fighter you think should be the favorite other than Makhachev. And even Makhachev would probably suggest a different kind of preparation for a meeting with someone like Morales.
He may not get a title shot next time, but after Saturday's performance, not many fighters will be lining up to take on the undefeated Morales. — Andreas Heil
One Punch Revives Prayts Hype
With one straight left hand, Rights reclaimed his status as a welterweight contender and provided momentum for his team, The Fighting Nerds. That's what a knockout of a former UFC champion can do.
Wright's 11-fight winning streak ended with an April loss to Ian Machado Harry. Four months later, he returned to the win column with a knockout Geoff Nealbut to truly get on the right path, he needed something more. He achieved this by knocking him out with one punch in the second round. Leon Edwardswho had never been knocked out before in his 29-fight career.
The finish instantly moved Praytes up to 170 pounds—but only for a few minutes. In the very next fight, Morales quickly finished off Brady, who is one place ahead of Edwards in the ESPN division rankings. In truth, Rights and Morales elevated themselves and the welterweight became a star overnight. — Wagenheim
