Luxury UFC Card in New York
A couple of super fights will headline the annual UFC pay-per-view event in New York City.
Former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will seek to conquer a second title against current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on November 15 at Madison Square Garden, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
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 to welterweight. Zhang, with a record of 26-3, also relinquished her 115-pound championship to compete at 125 pounds.
Makhachev defended his lightweight title four times before announcing his move up in weight. He will attempt to achieve what his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, never could: become a two-division champion.
Della Maddalena (18-2), from Perth, Australia, hasn’t suffered a defeat since his first two professional fights in 2016. He conquered the UFC title after defeating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in May.
Zhang is coming off a title defense against Tatiana Suarez in February. Shevchenko, at 37 years old, is the most dominant flyweight fighter in UFC history, with two titles and eight defenses.
White also announced a welterweight fight on the main card between former champion Leon Edwards (22-5) and the promising Brazilian contender Carlos Prates (22-7).
