UFC 322 is taking place tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena puts his title on the line against former Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. The second of two title fights features a Women’s Flyweight title bout between current title holder Valentina Shevchenko and former Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili.
Notable Bets Cashed
- $14,800 on Valentina Shevchenko ML (-148) to pay $24,800
- $7,130 on Bo Nickal ML (-238) to pay $10,126
- $5,000 on Michael Morales ML (+120) to pay $11,000
1:02 a.m. ET: Islam Makhachev defeats Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Islam Makhachev beat Jack Della Maddalena and is the 11th fighter in UFC history to win a title in two divisions. Makhachev ties Anderson Silva with 16 straight wins for the longest winning streak in UFC history.
This is also Makhachev’s sixth consecutive title win. Makhachev recorded 19:10 of control time in this bout while landing four takedowns. He finished with 123 total strikes, 92 more than JDM.
12:56 a.m. ET: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Round 5
The fifth and final round featured more of the same from Makhachev. This was a one-sided contest, just like the co-main event was. Makhachev excelled in his Welterweight debut and proved that he is just as dominant at 170 pounds. This was a 5-0 masterclass from the former Lightweight Champion.
10-9, 50-45 Makhachev
12:50 a.m. ET: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Round 4
JDM didn’t land any strikes in this round as Makhachev continued to control this contest with his elite ability on the ground. Makhachev is in cruise control, and unless Della Maddalena pulls off a miracle with a knockout, we will have a new champion.
10-9, 40-36 Makhachev
12:44 a.m. ET: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Round 3
JDM landed multiple big punches in the third round until the challenger recorded another takedown. Although JDM landed a few strikes, it wasn’t enough for him to win the round.
10-9, 30-27 Makhachev
12:38 a.m. ET: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Round 2
They started the round striking, but it wasn’t long until Makhachev attempted a takedown. It was more of the same in the second round for Makhachev, as he finished with over three minutes of control time. Della Maddalena finished the round on his feet, but it was too late.
10-9, 20-18 Makhachev
12:32 a.m. ET: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Round 1
Makhachev began with leg kicks, but JDM responded with a nice combination. Over a minute into the fight, Makhachev landed his first takedown. Della Maddalena got back to his feet, but Makhachev took him back down.
10-9 Makhachev
12:07 a.m. ET: Valentina Shevchenko defeats Zhang Weili by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Valentina Shevchenko picked up her third straight victory as she beat Zhang Weili in the co-main event of UFC 322. Shevchenko has tied Amanda Nunes for the most title wins (11) in Women’s UFC history. Overall, Shevchenko is now tied with Nunes and Anderson Silva for the third most title victories in promotion history. Shevchenko is now 12-2-1 in UFC title fights and has solidified her place as one of the greatest women’s fighters of all time.
Shevchenko finished with 137 total strikes, 41 significant strikes, and 13:24 of control time with five takedowns against Weili. This is Weili’s first loss in four years, snapping her five-fight winning streak.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Shevchenko was +120 to beat Weili by decision before the bout started.
12:01 a.m. ET: Shevchenko vs. Weili – Round 5
Another round, another dominant five minutes for the “Bullet”. At 37 years old, Shevchenko continues to prove that she is a level above anyone else in the UFC. This was all Shevchenko from start to finish as Weili never got going.
10-9, 50-45 Shevchenko
11:54 p.m. ET: Shevchenko vs. Weili – Round 4
Shevchenko landed a kick to the body at the start of the fourth round, which seemed to take a toll on Weili. Weili was continuing to be passive in this round, while Shevchenko was more aggressive.
10-9, 40-36 Shevchenko
11:48 p.m. ET: Shevchenko vs. Weili – Round 3
Shevchenko was more effective than Weili on the feet before taking her down again in the last two minutes of the third round. Shevchenko is very likely up 3-0 with Weili needing a finish in the championship rounds.
10-9, 30-27 Shevchenko
11:41 p.m. ET: Shevchenko vs. Weili – Round 2
Through two rounds, Weili is struggling to defend takedowns and find her own offense. Shevchenko totaled over four minutes of control time in the second round and wasn’t allowing Weili to get back to her feet.
10-9, 20-18 Shevchenko
11:35 p.m. ET: Shevchenko vs. Weili – Round 1
Weili started the fight by moving back and forth, landing the early strikes. Shevchenko landed a takedown while also being effective on the feet in the second half of the round. The defending champion clearly won the first round.
10-9 Shevchenko
11:12 p.m. ET: Michael Morales defeats Sean Brady by first-round KO
The size difference was evident from the beginning of this fight. Morales began unloading significant punches early in this contest, and it was only a matter of time until he finished Brady. Morales is now 19-0 with 15 finishes and has recorded three consecutive knockouts.
The UFC 322 Main Card has started with three knockouts, all coming in the first two rounds. Before this fight, Brady was the No. 2-ranked Welterweight contender. With this massive victory, a title opportunity could be in the near future for Morales.
10:49 p.m. ET: Carlos Prates defeats Leon Edwads by second-round KO
After a slow start in the first round, Carlos Prates came out aggressively in the second and knocked out the former champion Leon Edwards. This is Edwards’ third straight loss, the longest losing streak of his MMA career.
Prates is 12-1 in his previous 13 contests, with all 12 victories coming by KO/TKO in the first or second round. This is Prates’ most significant win of his career against a former title holder.
Before this contest, Prates was +175 to win by KO/TKO/DQ.
10:43 p.m. ET: Edwards vs. Prates – Round 1
Edwards was in complete control in the first round as he landed two takedowns and finished with three minutes of control time. Prates couldn’t get anything going offensively.
10-9 Edwards
10:27 p.m. ET: Benoit Saint Denis defeats Beneil Dariush by first-round KO
Benoit Saint Denis knocked out Beneil Dariush 16 seconds into the fight. This is the sixth fastest knockout in UFC Lightweight history. Saint Denis has now won three consecutive contests, all of which came by finish.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Saint Denis was +275 before this bout to beat Dariush by KO/TKO/DQ in the first round.
9:59 p.m. ET: Bo Nickal defeats Rodolfo Vieira via headkick KO!
After suffering his first career loss against Reinier de Ridder in May, Bo Nickal bounced back with a massive knockout against Rodolfo Vieira. Nickal moves to 8-1 with seven finishes in his MMA career.
Nickal was +300 to win by KO/TKO/DQ before this contest on DraftKings Sportsbook. He was also +1400 to win via third-round knockout.
UFC 322 Main Card
UFC Welterweight Championship Bout: Jack Della Maddalena (c) vs. Islam Makhachev
UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship Bout: Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Zhang Weili
Welterweight Bout: Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
Lightweight Bout: Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
Lightweight Bout: Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Results for the Prelims
Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira via KO
Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez via second-round submission
Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Results for the Early Prelims
Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert via first-round submission
Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico via third-round KO
Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
