Dana White Announces Main Card for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden
From Washington, D.C., where the UFC is planning an event next summer, CEO Dana White revealed the three fights that will culminate at UFC 322 on November 15th at Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will feature five current and former champions. Strawweight champion Zhang Weili will vacate her belt to move up to women’s flyweight and challenge current champion Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event. On the other hand, number 2 in the pound-for-pound ranking, Islam Makhachev, who also vacated his lightweight belt earlier this year, will seek the welterweight title against champion Jack Della Maddalena. White also announced that former welterweight champion Leon Edwards will have the opportunity to break a two-fight losing streak against Carlos Prates. This billboard promises to be a high-caliber event at the iconic Madison Square Garden, but is there room for disappointment for not having the fight that the fans initially expected?Is this fight card better than the expected Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall at MSG?
No, not even close. Although this alignment is impressive, Jones against Aspinall would have been one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Neither of these fights comes remotely close to that level of expectation. Jones, considered the best of all time, had a disappointing reign in heavyweight. A fight against an English challenger like Aspinall to crown an undisputed champion in Jones’s home state would have attracted big stars. This would have been a spectacle. This is another reminder of why Jones’ retirement decision is so disappointing. It was a smart decision, as Jones didn’t need to risk fighting Aspinall when his legacy and financial situation were already secured. Although his business move should be admired in some ways, the way he prolonged the situation generated a lot of discontent. The UFC deserves credit for creating a quality card for UFC 322. Without a doubt, it will be a massive event, but the global excitement doesn’t come close to what Jones vs. Aspinall would have generated.Is it positive for MMA that champions must vacate their belts to move up a weight class?
In these situations, interim titles don’t bother me. In other words, if Makhachev remained the undisputed lightweight champion while attempting this weight class challenge, it would seem appropriate to me. The argument for vacating a title is to keep a division moving, but the real problem is money. With the creation of an interim belt, the UFC could still schedule necessary fights and pay challengers championship money. If a division stagnates, all its fighters are prevented from receiving championship money, but an interim title solves this. Another reason why I would be in favor of allowing a champion like Makhachev (or Zhang) to keep the belt is that, if he loses, he can return to his division and fight the interim champion in a unification fight. The UFC should allow a champion to move up a weight class, and only then should he be forced to decide which division to continue in.
Should title challengers Zhang and Makhachev be favored over champions Shevchenko and Della Maddalena?
Yes. Starting with the co-main event, Shevchenko is one of the best fighters in the history of women’s MMA, but she is 37 years old and has been less dominant, even in victory, in recent years. Zhang is almost the same age, 36 years old, but seems to have less physical wear and tear than Shevchenko, who has been competing in martial arts for more than half her life. In her last two fights, Shevchenko has returned to her championship pedigree with impressive performances against Alexa Grasso and Manon Fiorot. But she identified and exploited weaknesses in both contenders’ games. Against Zhang, Shevchenko will have more difficulty finding a specific weakness to dominate.
When comparing the fighters’ records in the main event, it’s impossible not to mention Makhachev as the favorite. Makhachev, who has traditionally fought at 155 pounds, will not be significantly smaller than Della Maddalena for fight night, and Makhachev’s world-class grappling helps offset any size disadvantage he may have. That said, I wouldn’t feel comfortable setting any kind of odds against Della Maddalena. Makhachev almost has to be the favorite for a variety of reasons, but in practice, this is a 50-50 fight for me.
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Dana White Announces Main Card for UFC 322 at Madison Square GardenIs this fight card better than the expected Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall at MSG?Is it positive for MMA that champions must vacate their belts to move up a weight class?Should title challengers Zhang and Makhachev be favored over champions Shevchenko and Della Maddalena?
