UFC boss Dana White has confirmed that newly-crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena will defend his 170-pound title against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the organisation’s return to New York City this coming November.
UFC 322, which will come from inside Madison Square Garden on November 15, will also feature some other pivotal matchups — such as a flyweight title bout between champion Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili, while Leon Edwards will seek to end his two-fight skid when he takes on the dangerous Brazilian striker Carlos Prates, in what is a rare non-grappler opponent for the former welterweight champion.
“First off, I’m announcing our return to New York City as UFC 322 takes place on Saturday, November 15th at Madison Square Garden,” White said in a video released to social media, which you can see above.
“In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena will defend his belt for the first time against former UFC lightweight champion and longtime pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev. Makhachev cleaned out his division and is now moving up in weight, riding a 15-fight win streak, to attempt to become one of the rare fighters in UFC history to hold belts in two divisions.
“Maddalena, meanwhile, has won 18 straight fights and just beat Belal Muhammad to claim the welterweight title. This is the definition of a super fight—champion vs. champion at Madison Square Garden.”
White added: “In the co-main event, UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has accomplished everything there is to accomplish at 115 pounds. She’s vacating her title and moving up to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship.
“It’s number one pound-for-pound vs. number two pound-for-pound—another true super fight. Shevchenko is the most dominant flyweight in UFC history, holding nearly every record in the division, while Zhang was the first Chinese UFC champion and one of the most dominant strawweights ever. With 19 finishes in her 26 wins, she now looks to become just the second woman in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes.
Also on the UFC 322 card, former champion Leon Edwards returns to take on the number-nine-ranked Carlos Prates, a fan favorite with five UFC wins—all by knockout. UFC 322 is stacked—two super fights and a dangerous undercard. Don’t miss it on November 15th at Madison Square Garden.”
