"They are both, in essence, champion versus champion fights, with the caveat that both Makhachev and Zhang were forced to give up their existing belts to pursue opportunities in new weight classes. That's the reality of the UFC as it heads into the Paramount+ era. It seems the promotion is done with stars holding up divisions, and as much as double-champs could be fun, it's hard to blame them."
"Weigh-ins for UFC 322 took place on Friday, with only one miss: Beneil Dariush came in 1.2lbs heavy for his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis. Dariush did not continue to cut, and instead pays a 20% fine, but the fight moves forward at a catchweight. Check out highlights from Friday's weigh-in, plus results, below. UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Weigh-In Results Main card Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (c) (169.8) vs. Islam Makhachev (170) - for the UFC welterweight championship"
UFC 322 in New York City is headlined by Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang, both billed as champion-vs-champion fights. Makhachev and Zhang relinquished belts to pursue opportunities in new weight classes, reflecting the UFC's shift away from allowing stars to hold up divisions in the Paramount+ era. Makhachev, Zhang, and Shevchenko are all future Hall of Famers. Weigh-ins produced one miss: Beneil Dariush came in 1.2 pounds over and accepted a 20% fine, with the fight moving forward at catchweight. Complete weigh-in results include main card, preliminary, and early preliminary listings across multiple divisions.
Read at Cageside Press
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