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Brett Okamoto
A pair of UFC superfights will headline the organization’s yearly pay-per-view gathering in New York.
Former lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev is set to challenge for a second championship against current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 in Madison Square Garden, as announced by UFC CEO Dana White on Thursday. The co-main event will feature former strawweight champion Zhang Weili stepping up to flyweight to take on Valentina Shevchenko.
Makhachev (27-1) relinquished the UFC’s 155-pound title earlier this year in preparation for this transition to welterweight. Zhang (26-3) also vacated her 115-pound title to compete at 125 pounds.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, during his Hall of Fame career, never achieved the status of a two-division champion.
Della Maddalena (18-2), hailing from Perth, Australia, has not tasted defeat since his initial setbacks that opened his professional journey in 2016. He claimed the UFC title after defeating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in May.
ESPN lists Zhang and Shevchenko as the top two women’s pound-for-pound fighters worldwide, respectively. Zhang recently defended her title against Tatiana Suarez in February. Shevchenko, at 37, stands as the most formidable flyweight in UFC history, wielding two championships with eight successful title defenses over two reigns.
White has also revealed a welterweight main-card battle featuring former champion Leon Edwards (22-5) against rising Brazilian contender Carlos Prates (22-7).
