Tonight, Islam Makhachev will aim to somehow outdo his coach and childhood friend, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, by winning a second UFC title.
Having given up the lightweight belt earlier this year – after breaking the title-defence record – Makhachev eyes the welterweight strap worn by Jack Della Maddalena, in what could be an intriguing main event at UFC 322.
Russia’s Makhachev, 34, has not lost in 10 years; his Australian opponent, 29, has not lost in nine. With both competitors having exhibited well-rounded games throughout their careers, the headline bout in New York City could prove fascinating viewing. “JDM” is considered to have an edge in the striking department, while Makhachev’s wrestling is as good as it gets in MMA.
And in tonight’s co-main event at Madison Square Garden, Zhang Weili emulates Makhachev by moving up a division and eyeing more gold; the Chinese star, having vacated the women’s strawweight belt to end her second reign, goes after Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight title in a true super-fight.
Follow live updates and results from UFC 322 below, from the prelims to the main event.
UFC 322 live: Malcolm Wellmaker vs Ethyn Ewing
We look to featherweight for our regular prelims opener tonight as Malcolm Wellmaker takes on UFC debutant Ethyn Ewing.
Wellmaker is undefeated at 10-0 and beat cult favourite Kris Moutinho in his last outing.
Taking away his zero would be some scalp for Ewing, who took this fight on short notice and, astonishingly, last fought EIGHT DAYS ago.
These two usually fight at bantamweight – but given how quickly this was taken together, it’s been booked at 145lbs.
UFC 322 early prelims results
We’ve already had a few fights enter the books – here’s everything that’s gone down so far:
Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert via first-round submission (D’Arce choke, 0:50)
Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico by third-round knockout (punches, 1:38)
Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (30-27, 20-27, 29-28)
Hello, hello!
Good afternoon, good evening or good morning – welcome to the UFC 322 prelims!
We’ve got one hell of a night of fights lined up for you, culminating with the imperious Islam Makhachev’s bid to become a two-weight champion against welterweight king Jack Della Maddalena.
But to whet the appetite, we have four prelim bouts on the way. They are:
Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira (middleweight)
Roman Kopylov vs Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)
Erin Blanchfield vs Tracy Cortez (women’s flyweight)
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Ethyn Ewing (featherweight)
UFC 322 regular prelims incoming
Okay, time to leave you in the capable hands of Will Castle!
He’ll give you a round-up of the early-prelim results in a few moments, before diving into regular-prelim updates.
It all builds towards a stacked main card later, including two title fights…
Della Maddalena vs Makhachev – form guide
Here are Della Maddalena and Makhachev’s last five results, respectively:
Della Maddalena
def. Belal Muhammad via decision (May ‘25)
def. Gilbert Burns via 1st-round TKO (March ‘24)
def. Kevin Holland via decision (Sep ‘23)
def. Bassil Hafez via decision (July ‘23)
def. Randy Brown via 1st-round sub (Feb ‘23)
def. Renato Moicano via 1st-round sub (Jan ‘25)
def. Dustin Poirier via 5th-round sub (June ‘24)
def. Alex Volkanovski via 1st-round KO (Oct ‘23)
def. Alex Volkanovski via decision (Feb ‘23)
def. Charles Oliveira via 2nd-round sub (Oct ‘22)
Della Maddalena survives weigh-in scare ahead of Makhachev fight
However, Della Maddalena took to the scales much later in the morning, and when he did, the Australian came in at 170.4lb.
But after removing his shorts and weighing in behind a curtain, the champion was listed at 169.8lb.
Della Maddalena aims to pass ‘test’ that may change course of UFC history
When Jack Della Maddalena stopped Ramazan Emeev in June 2022, he passed what he described as the “Dagestani wrestler test”. Tonight, he faces the Islam Makhachev test – the final boss of Dagestani wrestler tests.
To call this bout make-or-break for the Australian’s career would be hyperbole; only a select class of fighters can call themselves world champions. But if he punctures Makhechev’s mystique at Madison Square Garden, sending him packing back to 155lb, “JDM” could become the three hottest letters in the UFC.
Preview by Will Castle:
Former JDM opponent lifts lid on champion’s ‘special’ qualities
Our own Will Castle, who will be taking over our live coverage when the regular prelims begin, chatted to one of “JDM”’s former opponents ahead of tonight’s main event.
Danny Roberts faced Della Maddalena three years ago to the month, falling to a first-round knockout by the now-champ.
“It was amazing to get in there, and I knew from the second we started throwing hard: ‘This is a good kid,’” the Briton told The Independent.
“You know your levels. I’ve had X amount of fights in the UFC, I know what it is when I get in there with someone – I know their level, their skillset, their potential – and I knew he was going to be great.”
Full interview:
How to watch UFC 322 tonight
In the UK, UFC 322 will air live on TNT Sports 1. It can also be purchased via Discovery+, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports. The prelims will also stream live on UFC Fight Pass.
In the US, ESPN+ will stream the main card on pay-per-view. ESPN+ will also stream the prelims to its subscribers, as will UFC Fight Pass.
