UFC 322: Two Stellar Super Fights in New York
The mixed martial arts (MMA) company UFC will present an annual pay-per-view (PPV) event in New York, headlined by two exciting super fights.
Former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will seek to conquer a second title, 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, who holds a record of 27-1, vacated the 155-pound title earlier this year, anticipating his move up to the welterweight division. For his part, Zhang (26-3) also vacated her 115-pound championship to compete at 125 pounds.
Makhachev and Della Maddalena are considered the number 2 and 8 fighters, respectively, in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide.
Makhachev defended his lightweight title four times before announcing his move to welterweight. He will seek to achieve what his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, never could: become a two-division champion.
Della Maddalena, from Perth, Australia, with a record of 18-2, has not suffered defeats since the beginning of his professional career in 2016, after two consecutive losses. He conquered the UFC title by defeating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in May.
Zhang and Shevchenko are positioned as the number 1 and 2 fighters in the women’s pound-for-pound ranking.
Zhang comes into this fight after defending her title against Tatiana Suarez in February. Shevchenko, 37, is considered the most dominant figure in UFC flyweight division history, with two titles and eight successful defenses.
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).
