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.
Weili dominated women's strawweight before leaving Mackenzie Dern to pick up the vacant strap at UFC 321. Her second reign as champion saw her beat Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez. Now she seeks to put an end to Shevchenko's second women's flyweight title reign, which Shevchenko kick-started after ending her series with former champ Alexa Grasso.
There are plenty of interesting fights to follow on Saturday night that could have huge implications on divisional outlooks. Specifically, Saturday night is a big one in the welterweight division. Sean Brady looks to hold his spot and potentially move toward his first title shot when he takes on the fast rising Michael Morales. Brady, currently No. 2 at 170 pounds, was getting close to that elusive opportunity in 2022 when a stunning TKO loss to Belal Muhammad derailed his momentum. But Brady has bounced back strongly with three straight wins, including a submission of former champion Leon Edwards in his last appearance. Now he faces Morales, currently No. 8, as one of the hottest fighters in the sport. Morales is undefeated in UFC since signing out of Contender Series in 2021 at 6-0 with four knockouts. He's coming off of a knockout of former title challenger Gilbert Burns in May that earned him his second Performance of the Night bonus.
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 (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, 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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