"There's no doubt the UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden this weekend is one of the biggest UFC cards of the year. There's also no doubt about the star power driving it. Islam Makhachev gave up his lightweight title earlier this year for the all but certain guarantee that he'd fight for welterweight gold next. When Makhachev, a teammate and now student of Khabib Nurmagomedov, voiced a desire to fight in either Abu Dhabi or New York, the UFC made it happen."
"You'd be forgiven for forgetting that it's Australia's Jack Della Maddalena who is currently the UFC's undisputed welterweight champion. He beat Belal Muhammad back in May to win the division's crown, doing so in the house that GSP built, the Bell Centre in Montreal. It's Makhachev stealing the headlines this week, however. Makhachev who is the favorite, albeit a moderate one. If there's any surprise, it's that the odds are as close as they are."
"The UFC 322 co-main event finds a super-fight ready to unfold. Like Makhachev, Weili Zhang dropped her title, the women's strawweight belt, to pursue a second crown against Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight. Shevchenko is a two-time champ at 125lbs. Zhang is a two-time champ at 115lbs. It's rare that two champions, roughly the same age, still at the top of their game, collide in this fashion. Which makes Saturday's co-headliner something special."
UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden features two high-profile title fights headlining a major card. Islam Makhachev relinquished the lightweight title to pursue welterweight gold and arranged a fight location preference with the promotion. Australia's Jack Della Maddalena is the current undisputed welterweight champion after defeating Belal Muhammad in May. Makhachev is the betting favorite, though odds are closer than expected due to Della Maddalena's recent performances. The co-main pits Weili Zhang against Valentina Shevchenko, with both fighters having held two titles at different weights, creating a rare champion-versus-champion matchup. A pre-fight press conference will stream Thursday.
Read at Cageside Press
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