Everything’s bigger in New York. And that’s the case once again on Saturday when UFC makes its annual trip to Madison Square Garden for UFC 322. A pair of superfights tip the bill with (now) former champions moving up in weight in pursuit of glory in a second division. In the main event, Islam Makhachev moves up from lightweight to welterweight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the 170-pound title. In the co-main, Weili Zhang moves from strawweight to flyweight to face Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound crown.
Makhachev is on the short list of best lightweight fighters in UFC history, along with his mentor and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev set the record for most title defenses in the division before deciding to move up 15 pounds in weight to challenge for a second divisional crown. If he wins on Saturday, he also ties Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in UFC history at 16.
Standing in his way is Della Maddalena, who is a bit of an unheralded champion after earning the title in his last fight against Belal Muhammad. “JDM” is undefeated in UFC since joining the promotion in 2022 and brings a unique skillset that could bother Makhachev.
Meanwhile, Zhang and Shevchenko have had similar career runs in UFC. Both are among the most decorated champions in the strawweight and flyweight division’s history. They have each made numerous title defenses while coming up on the wrong end of a pair of fights with their toughest rivals (Rose Namajunas for Zhang and Amanda Nunes for Shevchenk). Saturday could go a long way in polishing off an already Hall of Fame worthy resume for either woman.
Saturday night will see tons of top welterweights in action looking to make a strong impression on the matchmakers for a possible title shot. No. 2 Sean Brady has the tall task of slowing the momentum of No. 8 Michael Morales in a featured bout. Morales, 26, is 18-0 and coming off a pair of Performance of the Night awards in his last two outings. Plus, former divisional champion Leon Edwards looks to get back on track when he takes on another fast riser in Carlos Prates. Edwards has dropped two in a row after defending the 170-pound title twice. Prates, meanwhile, bounced back from his first UFC defeat in April when he delivered a thunderous knockout of Geoff Neal in August.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 322, along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features, and other content around this massive event.
UFC 322 fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Islam Makhachev -285 vs. Jack Della Maddalena (c) +230, welterweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko -135 (c) vs. Zhang Weili +115, women’s flyweight title
- Sean Brady -130 vs. Michael Morales +110, welterweights
- Carlos Prates -175 vs. Leon Edwards +145, welterweights
- Benoit Saint Denis -180 vs. Beneil Dariush +150, lightweights
- Bo Nickal -205 vs. Rodolfo Vieira +170, middleweights
- Gregory Rodrigues -185 vs. Roman Kopylov +154, middleweights
- Erin Blanchfield -258 vs. Tracy Cortes +210, women’s flyweights
- Malcolm Wellmaker -155 vs. Cody Haddon +130, bantamweights
- Kyle Daukaus -425 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +330, middleweights
- Pat Sabatini -130 vs. Chepe Mariscal +110, featherweights
- Fatima Kline -520 vs. Angela Hill +390, women’s strawweights
- Baisangur Susurkaev -1050 vs. Eric McConico +675, middleweights
- Matheus Camilo -162 vs. Viacheslav Borshchev +140, lightweights
UFC 322 info
- Date: Nov. 15
- Location: Madison Square Garden — New York City
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 322 countdown
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