UFC 322 takes place tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden in New York and we’ve got the full fight card for you below.

Main Card

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev

Jack Della Maddalena claimed the welterweight crown by defeating Belal Muhammad while extending his unbeaten UFC streak to eight fights. Now, the Australian standout faces his toughest test yet against Islam Makhachev, who vacated the lightweight belt after a 15-fight winning streak in the division to pave the way for this title challenge.

The 29-year-old Maddalena’s battling boxing ability was on fully display when he first arrived in the UFC in 2022, overwhelming three opponents in a row with blistering combinations to the head and body at close quarters that forced TKO stoppages before the opening round was over. Maddalena then showed versatility with a submission win over Randy Brown as he began to mark himself out as a major player in the division. Opponents soon grew more wary of going toe-to-toe with Maddalena, and so he adjusted accordingly, reigning in his aggression in favor of a more patient, calculated striking style. While that shift has produced fewer early finishes, it has kept his winning run intact. It hasn’t gone all his own way though as he’s found the going tougher against fighters who can challenge him on the mat, such as Gilbert Burns, who was getting the better of him before JDM rallied with a late knockout, but his takedown defense looked sharper in his five-round victory over Belal Muhammad last time out.

The 34-year-old Makhachev Makhachev currently stands at No.2 on the pound-for-pound rankings after a dominant run in the lightweight division that saw him beat the likes of Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Arman Tsarukyan, and Renato Moicano. As such he’s already considered one of the greats, but he now wants to add to his legacy by becoming a two-division champion. Though not as naturally big as Maddalena, Makhachev will be conceding only a slight edge in height and 3″ in reach here. His game is built upon his strong takedowns, suffocating wrestling control, and a lethal submission arsenal that has produced 13 finishes. Makhachev also has good ground-and-pound, but more significantly, he also has good striking on the feet before. Often marked out by his coaches as being a more natural striker than his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov was, Makhachev has honed that further over the years with sharp technique, timing, and respectable power, making him an even more formidable fighter.

Maddalena’s size and striking prowess make him a dangerous challenge here, but Makhachev’s constant takedown threat could make it more difficult for the champion to get into his groove on the feet. And while Maddalena has proven capable on the mat, Makhachev is on a different level with his wrestling and grappling. As such I think Makhachev will gradually wear down JDM on the mat to set up a third round submission finish to join some of the other UFC greats who have become two-division champion.

Pick: Islam Makhachev wins by submission in Rd3.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili

Valentina Shevchenko’s second reign as flyweight champion now sees her facing one of the toughest tests of her career as she goes up against former strawweight queen Zhang Weili, who has vacated her belt in pursuit of becoming only the 2nd female UFC fighter to win titles in two divisions.

At 37, Shevchenko’s longevity at the top deserves enormous credit. Her career actually spans more than two decades, including simultaneously competing in MMA, muay thai, and kickboxing for over 10 years at one point. Potential signs that she might finally be fading appeared when a couple of less convincing title defenses were followed by Alexa Grasso ending her reign as flyweight champion in 2023 and then fighting to a split draw in the rematch, but Shevchenko silenced doubts in their trilogy bout last year. On that night she reclaimed the belt in style with a composed performance that should the depth of her skill-set with takedowns, long spells of control on top, and assured submission defense. Then earlier this year she halted Manon Fiorot’s seven-fight winning streak, serving up a reminder of her elite striking by bloodying Fiorot early in the fight and dropping her late in the fourth round. Though her speed has naturally began to slow with age, Shevchenko remains agile, has good fight IQ and continues to pace herself well over five rounds.

The 36-year-old Weili has also been dominant in the strawweight title across two title reigns while defeating a line-up of elite contenders. Weili’s UFC run has been fought exclusively at 115lbs, but it’s worth noting that she did fight as high as 132lbs early in her career, and looks muscular and in good shape up at flyweight. As a very well conditioned and well-rounded athlete, Weili is able to apply pressure consistently wherever the fight goes. On the feet she’ll concede a slight edge in height and reach to Shevchenko, but will look to compensate for that with her speed and high-volume offense. She likes to engage at close-range and smoothly blends her punches, kicks, elbows, and knees with precision. She’s also able to seemlessly transition into her powerful wrestling and dangerous grappling, enabling her to threaten with both submissions and active ground-and-pound.

This matchup is a true super-fight between two of the all-time greats in women’s MMA. Both are similar in age, but while Shevchenko has shown glimpses of potentially slowing down a little after a very long career that includes over 90 striking bouts outside of MMA, Weili simply hasn’t so far. On the feet, Shevchenko’s strikes may carry more impact, but I think Weili’s pace and more active offense will be an important factor. And on the mat I feel Weili holds a slight technical edge too. Overall it has the makings of a highly competitive fight, but I’ll take Weili’s speed, work-rate and versatile approach to give her the edge on the judges scorecards.

Pick: Zhang Weili wins by decision.

Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales

Sean Brady comes into this fight as the No.2 welterweight contender following an 8-1 record in the UFC. His next challenge comes against the undefeated Michael Morales, who has gone 6-0 inside the Octagon to take the No.8 spot.

The 32-year-old Brady is a powerhouse with excellent conditioning and a skill set that shines on the mat. Brady’s reliable wrestling paves the way for a grappling game that’s proven very fruitful during his time in the UFC, with four submission finishes in his last seven fights. Meanwhile Brady is also a serviceable rather than spectacular striker with solid fundamentals, enabling him to hold his own and apply steady pressure, while he’s also able to work well from the clinch.

The 26-year-old Morales’ 18-0 career record has been bolstered by wins over respected veterans, including his recent 1st round TKO finishes against Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny. Morales is a big, athletic 170lb’er and will look to take advantage of a 3-inch height and 7-inch reach advantage here. He has a good mix of speed, power, and strength, which serves him well both on the feet and on the mat. That being said, though he’s capable of finishing fights on the feet or via ground-and-pound, a submission threat remain a less developed part of his arsenal. It’s also worth noting that despite his recent stoppage wins, he has also shown he can fight with composure for the full 15 minutes when needed.

If this fight played out purely on the feet then I’d favor Morales here as the bigger man with more of a cutting edge, but I think Brady’s strength and proven knack for outgrappling opponents on the mat and in the clinch will enable him to take control of the fight and win out by decision.

Pick: Sean Brady wins by decision.

Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates

Former welterweight champion Leon Edwards looks to rebound from back-to-back defeats when he fights Carlos Prates, who brushed off his first loss in the UFC by returning with a first-round KO last time out.

The 34-year-old Edwards managed to compiled a 13-fight winning streak prior to losing his title to Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision last year and then being submitted by Sean Brady. Edwards is a composed, technically sharp striker with good speed and footwork. Edwards has shown he can finishes fights, but he prefers a patient, low-volume style that seems him waiting for openings to land accurate punches and kicks. That tendency to just look to win rounds rather than finish fights was also reflected in his willingness to outwrestle opponents at times during his long winning streak. His style can be frustrating and there is a sense at times that he struggles to step up the gears and raise his intensity at times, but even so his record shows that it’s worked out for him far more often than not.

By way of contrast, the 32-year-old Prates is all about finishing fights, as evidenced by the fact that all five of his UFC wins so far have been by KO. In fact, of his 23 career wins overall to date, 20 have come inside the distance, with 17 coming via strikes. Prates potent striking threat was refined by frequent muay thai bouts in Thailand and China before turning his attention fully to MMA. Prates does a good job of maintaining accuracy while executing his diverse striking arsenal that sees all eight limbs being potential fight-enders, and he’ll have an extra 4″ in reach to aid him here. However, though he owns a small handful of submission wins from earlier in his career, Prates is certainly more accomplished on the feet and so looks to use his takedown defense to keep the action where he wants it.

Prates has a formidable finishing rate, but Edwards is defensively sound, is good on the counter, and has never been finished by strikes. That being said, given that he’s typically a calculated, risk-adverse fighter, I think Edwards will look to the path of least resistance here and be aiming to use his wrestling advantage to bring him down and neutralize his offensive threat to secure a decision victory.

Pick: Leon Edwards wins by decision.

Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis

Beneil Dariush returns to action after a crucial win over Renato Moicano, and is now set to face Benoit Saint Denis, who has already picked up two victories in 2025.

The 36-year-old Dariush had said prior to his last fight against Moicano that he could retire if he didn’t get the win. That might seem like a surprising statement for a fighter that only a few years ago was on an eight-fight unbeaten stretch. However, it was understandable given that Dariush had suffered two 1st round losses to strikes in 2023, as well as having also been KO’d in training and been dropped several times. That set alarm bells ringing and he’d sat out for 18 months before returning to action. However, while he did eventually beat Moicano, it’s worth noting he was floored in the opening round, so there continues to be a big question mark regarding his chin heading into this fight. On the positive side though, Dariush is a threat himself on the feet thanks to his heavy hands and impactful kicks. That being said, Dariush is at his best on the mat where he has very good wrestling and very adept, composed grappling technique.

Saint Denis, 29, built his reputation as unrelenting, all-action fighter, who was able to finish off five opponents in a row with his aggressive mix of striking and grappling. However, like Dariush, he then hit upon tough times with two knockout losses that derailed his momentum and led to doubts about his future given that his style had relied on his ability to absorb damage in striking exchanges. Since then though BSD has wisely recalibrated his approach, leaning more heavily on his grappling roots that had served him well on the regional circuit, where his record was littered with submission finishes. And so far that’s worked out well for him with two more finishes via sub to add to his collection.

Saint Denis has a bit of a dilemma here as he’s been finding success on the mat, but not against grapplers who are as accomplished as Dariush. So while he may still be a bit wary of his own punch resistance, I think he’ll take confidence from the fact that Dariush is even more compromised in that regard, having long had issues in that regard, as well being 8 years older than him. As such I’ll take BSD to force enough striking exchanges that he’s able to land a finishing blow by the second round, if not sooner.

Pick: Benoit Saint Denis wins by TKO in Rd2.

Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)

Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cody Haddon

Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Pat Sabatini vs. Chepe Mariscal
Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico