UFC Star Card in New York: Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena and Zhang vs. Shevchenko
The mixed martial arts company UFC has announced an exciting card for its annual pay-per-view event in New York. Two high-caliber fights will headline the night, promising strong emotions for the fans.
Former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will seek to conquer a second title by facing current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The event will take place on November 15 at Madison Square Garden.
In the co-main event, former strawweight champion Zhang Weili will move up to the flyweight division to challenge Valentina Shevchenko.
Makhachev, with a record of 27-1, vacated the lightweight title earlier this year, anticipating his move up to welterweight. For his part, Zhang (26-3) abandoned her strawweight championship to compete at 125 pounds.
Makhachev and Della Maddalena are ranked as numbers 2 and 8, respectively, in the world pound-for-pound rankings. Makhachev defended his lightweight title four times before announcing his move to welterweight. He will attempt to achieve something his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, never accomplished: becoming a champion in two divisions.
Della Maddalena, from Perth, Australia, hasn’t known defeat since his first two professional fights in 2016. He conquered the UFC title by defeating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in May.
Zhang and Shevchenko are numbers 1 and 2 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Zhang comes from defending her title against Tatiana Suarez in February. Shevchenko, 37 years old, is the most dominant figure in UFC flyweight history, with two titles and eight defenses in total.
In addition, a welterweight bout was announced on the main card between former champion Leon Edwards (22-5) and promising Brazilian contender Carlos Prates (22-7).
