UFC 322: Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena and Shevchenko vs. Zhang ¡A Great Card!

Dana White Announces Three Headline Fights for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden

From a plane in Washington, D.C., UFC CEO Dana White announced the three fights that will culminate at UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 15. In these three contests, five current and former champions will participate. The strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, will vacate her belt to move up to women’s flyweight and challenge the reigning champion, Valentina Shevchenko, in the co-main event. In addition, Islam Makhachev, ranked among the best pound-for-pound fighters, will seek the welterweight title against champion Jack Della Maddalena. White also revealed that former welterweight champion Leon Edwards will face Carlos Prates, who has knocked out 11 of his last 12 opponents.

Is this three-fight event better than if we had Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall at MSG?

No, not even close. Although this alignment is amazing, Jones against Aspinall would have been one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Neither of these fights comes close to that magnitude. Jones is the best of all time, but his “reign” in heavyweight was a bit disappointing. Would it have been better if he had fought against an English challenger as dangerous as Aspinall to crown an undisputed champion in Jones’ home state? That kind of fight would have attracted celebrities in private jets from all over the country. It would have been a spectacle. Jones’ decision to retire is disappointing. It was a smart decision, as why risk fighting Aspinall when his legacy and bank account were already secured? He made a business move, something uncommon in MMA, and should be admired in a way. However, the way he prolonged it for so long generated a lot of discontent. UFC has put together a quality card for UFC 322, which is generating excitement in the sport. Without a doubt, it will be a massive event, but the global excitement doesn’t come close to what Jones vs. Aspinall would have been.

Is it good for MMA that champions have to vacate their UFC belts to move up a weight class?

In these situations, interim titles don’t bother me. If Makhachev were to remain the undisputed lightweight champion while attempting this weight class challenge, it would seem completely appropriate to me. The argument for leaving the title vacant is to maintain a division in motion, but the real problem is money. With the creation of an interim belt, the UFC could continue to 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 that. 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. If Makhachev loses and returns to 155 pounds, would it seem right for him to be Ilia Topuria’s challenger? The UFC should allow a champion to move up in weight, and only then, if the champion successfully secures a second belt, 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 competed 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 resumes of the fighters in the main event, it’s impossible not to list Makhachev as the favorite. Makhachev, who has traditionally fought at 155 pounds, will not be significantly smaller than Della Maddalena on fight night, and Makhachev’s world-class grappling helps offset any size disadvantage he may have. That said, I wouldn’t feel comfortable betting against Della Maddalena. Makhachev almost has to be the favorite for a variety of reasons, but in practice, for me, this is a 50-50 fight.