In what is shaping up to be one of the greatest cards in the promotion’s history, UFC 322 presents a duo of blockbuster championship fights featuring some of the most decorated title-holders in the entire sport. In the main event of UFC 322, newly-minted welterweight king Jack Della Maddalena seeks to defend his strap for the first time against lightweight legend Islam Makhachev. In the second to last fight of the night at UFC 322, women’s flyweight phenom Valentina Shevchenko pits herself opposite former strawweight queen Zhang Weili, who recently vacated her throne in an effort to chase further greatness up a division.
UFC 322 Main Event
Winning the belt in glorious fashion after a five-round war with Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Della Maddalena takes to the cage at Madison Square Garden in UFC 322 as a bona fide star in mixed martial arts. Enlisting the services of other great combat sports icons like Alexander Volkanovski and Craig Jones, “JDM” is looking to record a fantastic upset over the man many pundits are calling the best fighter on the planet.
During his reign as lightweight kingpin, Makhachev solidified his place as the top competitor the division has ever produced, compiling four superb title defenses, the most of any 155-lb champion in the history of the UFC. Traveling to 170-lb for the first time, the Russian is ready to tackle a whole new challenge in his goal to conquer another weight class during the UFC 322.
Embed from Getty Images
UFC 322 Co-Main Event
Last seen in action earlier this year at UFC 315, Shevchenko toppled the immensely-talented Manon Fiorot, handing the Frenchwoman her first loss in both the promotion, as well as her professional tenure. Now competing in the first real women’s mixed martial arts superfight we’ve seen in quite some time, “Bullet” can add even more to her sterling legacy as the most distinguished flyweight champion ever by taking down the hard-punching Weili.
Asserting her dominance over the 115-lb class over the past three years, Weili has proven to be a nearly-unstoppable force in female MMA, dusting all challengers who have tried to take away her strap like Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez.
Taking the most important contest of her life against the otherworldly Shevchenko, “Magnum” will now attempt to become only the second woman to win a championship in two different weight categories other than Amanda Nunes.
More Bouts On the UFC 322 Main Card
Rounding out the main card, Sean Brady seeks to dole out Ecuadorian powerhouse Michael Morales his first defeat. Then, former welterweight apex Leon Edwards comes to blows with Brazilian knockout artist Carlos Prates. Finally, lightweight contenders Beneil Dariush and Benoît Saint Denis lock horns in their journeys toward title contention.
UFC 322 Predictions and Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Find our UFC 322 picks and fight odds below.
Staff records after UFC Vegas 111:
- Hank Strandberg: 189-109
- Frazer Krohn: 152-108
- Drew Zuhosky: 151-145
- Jeremy Brand: 135-92
- Andrew Benjamin: 32-90
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Benoit Saint-Denis -180
Vs.
Beneil Dariush +155
LIGHTWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Saint-Denis by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Saint-Denis by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Dariush by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Saint-Denis by Second Round Knockout
Staff picking Saint-Denis: 3
Staff picking Dariush: 1
Carlos Prates -185
Vs.
Leon Edwards +160
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Prates by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Prates by Second Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Edwards by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Edwards by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Prates: 2
Staff picking Edwards: 2
Sean Brady -130
Vs.
Michael Morales +110
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Brady by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Brady by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Brady by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Brady by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Brady: 4
Staff picking Morales: 0
Valentina Shevchenko -135
Vs.
Weili Zhang +115
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Shevchenko by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Shevchenko by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Shevchenko by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Zhang by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Shevchenko: 3
Staff picking Zhang: 1
Islam Makhachev -255
Vs.
Jack Della Maddalena +215
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Makhachev by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Makhachev by Fourth Round Submission
Drew Zuhosky: Makhachev by Second Round Submission
Frazer Krohn: Makhachev by Fourth Round Submission
Staff picking Makhachev: 4
Staff picking Della Maddalena: 0
