Making its way to one of the most sacred venues in all of sports, Madison Square Garden, UFC 322 brings to the table the biggest mixed martial arts event of the year, headlined by two spectacular title fights. Taking top billing on the card, welterweight apex Jack Della Maddalena will defend his throne for the first time against reputable former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. In the second to last match of the evening at UFC 322, women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko puts her belt on the line for the second time this year when she meets previous strawweight titan Zhang Weili.
Now, here are some interesting pre-event tidbits about the main card of UFC 322.
UFC 322: Beneil Dariush vs. Benoît Saint Denis
Beneil Dariush
Dariush’s appearance at UFC 322 is his second contest of 2025, making it the first time he has fought twice in a year since 2023. He enters his bout with Saint Denis on a win after taking out Renato Moicano this past June, ending a two-fight losing streak.
Including UFC 322, five of his last six fights have taken place at pay-per-view shows.
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Benoît Saint Denis
He enters UFC 322 off the back of two consecutive wins over Kyle Prepolec and Maurício Ruffy, both of whom he submitted in the second round. This will be the first United States-based event that he has competed at since UFC 299 back in 2024.
He is 1-2 against ranked lightweight opponents.
UFC 322: Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
Leon Edwards
His upcoming match with Prates will be the first time he has faced an adversary from Brazil since Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 4. He makes his return to pay-per-view after previously locking horns with Sean Brady at UFC Fight Night 255 this past March.
He has not won a tilt since defending his former championship for the second time opposite Colby Covington at UFC 296. He has never lost a fight by KO/TKO.
Carlos Prates
Prates’ match at UFC 322 is going to be his third in 2025. His past 11 victories have ended by knockout.
He has only gone the distance five times throughout his professional mixed martial arts career that currently spans 29 bouts.
UFC 322: Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
Sean Brady
He walks into the cage this weekend on a three-fight win streak with triumphs over Kelvin Gastelum, Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards, notably becoming the first man to submit the latter in competition. He has compiled three stoppages in his past five victories, all of them ending via submission.
This will be the first time he has faced an undefeated foe since squaring off with Gilbert Urbina at LFA 49 back in 2018.
Michael Morales
He is currently in the midst of an 18-bout win streak after beginning his professional career in 2017. In his six appearances in the Octagon, all of his opponents have been older than him; the oldest of those men being Gilbert Burns, who was 13 years Morales’s senior in their encounter last May.
This will be his first pay-per-view assignment since UFC 277 in 2022 after previously competing solely at the Apex facility in his last four contests.
UFC 322: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili
Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko’s fight at UFC 322 serves as the second title defense of her second reign as women’s flyweight champion after retaining her strap seven times during her first. She has the most fight time of any female athlete in the promotion, as well as the second most in UFC title match history at 4:23:22, behind only Jon Jones at 4:56:20.
She also holds the most wins in UFC women’s flyweight history with 11.
Zhang Weili
Zhang has not lost a contest in over four years after losing to Rose Namajunas at 115-lb at UFC 268. She possesses the record for most ground strikes landed in a UFC women’s strawweight fight with 225.
She leaves the strawweight division off the back of a five-fight win streak and three championship defenses.
UFC 322: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev
Jack Della Maddalena
Maddalena’s appearance at UFC 322 will be his first retention of his belt since winning it at UFC 315 over Belal Muhammad. He is on an 18-bout winning streak after losing his first two matches as a professional.
He is the third Australian UFC champion after Robert Whittaker and Alexander Volkanovski.
Islam Makhachev
He fights at UFC 322 on a 15-bout undefeated run dating back to October of 2015. The event is his debut in the welterweight division
It also marks his sixth promotional main event in a row. He vacates his lightweight championship after recording four title defenses, the most of any belt-holder in that weight class in UFC history.
