9 Hits And 4 Misses From UFC 322: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev

For the ninth time in its historical past, the UFC landed in “The Metropolis That By no means Sleeps,” as Madison Sq. Backyard performed host to UFC 322 — highlighted by a pair of stellar tremendous title fights.

A card in November at MSG has been an annual UFC custom (minus the heavily-restricted 2020) since 2016, when the game of Blended Martial Arts was lastly legalized in New York. Final 12 months’s MSG occasion noticed Jon Jones ship Stipe Miocic into retirement in a heavyweight championship headliner.

The primary occasion of this 12 months’s MSG present noticed Jack Della Maddalena put the UFC welterweight championship on the road towards Islam Makhachev. This marked JDM’s first title protection since capturing it at UFC 315 in Could with a win over Belal Muhammad. Makhachev is the previous UFC light-weight champion, having gained that title by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 and retaining it towards Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and Renato Moicano.

The co-main occasion noticed maybe the 2 greatest ladies within the UFC doing battle, as Valentina Shevchenko defended the UFC ladies’s flyweight title towards Weili Zhang. Shevchenko is a two-time champion who has been a dominant drive within the division since 2018. After regaining the gold from Alexa Grasso at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306, she defended the title efficiently towards Manon Fiorot at UFC 315. Zhang is a two-time former UFC strawweight champion, defeating Carla Esparza to begin her second reign that featured wins over Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan, and Tatiana Suarez.

Who made a press release below the large metropolis lights? Who cracked below the strain? Let’s undergo along with the Hits and Misses of UFC 322!

Miss: Susurkaev’s KO His Solely Constructive

I’ve to marvel if Dana White is having any purchaser’s regret about signing Baisangur Susurkaev. He’s gotten two wins within the UFC, however neither has been significantly good.

He needs to be given credit score for taking the chance to battle on just some days’ discover when he earned his UFC contract, however the battle towards Eric Nolan proved to be not probably the most excellent. In opposition to Eric McConico, many felt the battle had no enterprise coming into the third spherical.

The knockout itself was nice and reveals his energy. However we additionally must see extra from Susurkaev if he’s going to show the ego and confidence that he does.

Hit: Daukaus Does It Once more

In all probability among the finest feel-good tales for the Octagon in 2025 is the re-emergence of Kyle Daukaus. And after stopping Michel Pereira in lower than a minute at UFC Shanghai, he adopted it up with one other spotlight, sub-minute end of Gerald Meerschaert.

Daukaus wanted only one flurry to place Meerschaert in bother. After scoring a knockdown, Daukaus jumped proper on and locked up a choke, incomes a submission victory.

The way in which Daukaus has carried out, he deserves a principal card spot for his subsequent UFC bout. And if he continues to carry out the way in which he has, he’s going to be some of the enjoyable fighters to look at.

Hit: One other Profitable Ewing In MSG

All through the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties, Patrick Ewing entertained and earned the hearts of New York Knicks followers together with his play in Madison Sq. Backyard, serving to the Knicks to 2 Japanese Convention titles within the course of. In November 2025, Ethyn Ewing, only one week after successful a championship in 1AC, made his UFC debut on quick discover and pulled off a spotlight of his personal.

The highly-touted Malcolm Wellmaker appeared to bother him within the early phases of the battle, making issues appear to be he’d earn one other win in a memorable 2025 for him. However Ewing fought again, doing injury within the clinch and turning the tide in his favor.

Whereas Wellmaker used physique work through the second spherical, Ewing had his personal moments and related on some exhausting clinch knees, earlier than utilizing his boxing and takedowns within the third to seal the victory and finish Wellmaker’s undefeated file.

Wellmaker will probably be again; no want to fret about him. However for Ewing, he’s simply opened doorways to extra alternatives with what he displayed.

Hit: Blanchfield Vies For Title Shot

Erin Blanchfield has been a rising ladies’s flyweight fighter since arriving from Invicta in 2021, however she hasn’t been in a position to safe a title shot simply but. That will all have modified following her end of Tracy Cortez.

Blanchfield baffled individuals through the first spherical by making an attempt to face and commerce in a kickboxing battle with Cortez, who bought the higher of Blanchfield within the hanging recreation. However Blanchfield labored her means again within the second spherical and scored a takedown. Blanchfield then used her grappling to work her means into a few choke makes an attempt, with the second scoring her the submission win.

Blanchfield has now avenged one of many two losses in her MMA profession, with the opposite coming towards latest title challenger Manon Fiorot. Maybe her resume has proven greater than sufficient now to get the subsequent shot on the 125-pound gold.

Hit: Bo Is aware of The KO

Bo Nickal wanted to indicate a giant efficiency after dropping in grand trend to Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines earlier this 12 months. He did that after which some, not solely demonstrating his glorious wrestling, however now additionally his continuing-to-evolve hanging.

Nickal simply scooped Rodolfo Vieira up and slammed him within the first spherical, laying into him with a sequence of knees and punches earlier than threatening a guillotine choke. After persevering with to put into Vieira within the second, Nickal used his left hand to arrange a devastating left head kick that crushed Vieira and despatched him to La La Land.

Is Bo Nickal prepared for next-level competitors? No, and the RdR battle was typical UFC pushing fighters too shortly. However this efficiency confirmed he’s getting higher, and if he can have performances like this one other couple of instances, then I believe you give him harder competitors.

Hit: Sacre Bleu, Saint-Denis

Benoit Saint-Denis barely broke a sweat in his battle that opened the pay-per-view card, obliterating Beneil Dariush and making his case for a better spot within the UFC’s light-weight rankings.

After Dariush tripped him up with a few low kicks to begin the battle, Saint-Denis wanted simply a few blows to the top to make Dariush faceplant.

This now marks three straight wins for BSD, together with his solely two losses within the Octagon coming in hearty performances towards Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. BSD ought to actually be within the prime 10 at light-weight in a few days, however he must also be getting an enormous contenders battle in his subsequent matchup.

Miss: Dariush’s Title Desires Dashed?

Let’s return to UFC 289 – Beneil Dariush has gained eight straight and is in a pivotal battle with Charles Oliveira. If he wins this battle, Dariush in all probability earns a light-weight title shot towards Islam Makhachev.

As a substitute, Dariush misplaced that battle, and the loss to BSD now means he’s misplaced three of his final 4. Dariush is 36, however he’s additionally been a reputation within the UFC for some time now. I’m not going to say his greatest days are behind him; he did rating a win over Renato Moicano earlier this 12 months in spite of everything. However at this level, he may simply be a gatekeeper for others making their means up the 155-pound ranks. Until he’s in some way keen to change divisions?

Hit: Carlos Prates Makes Emphatic Assertion

The Preventing Nerds could have a few of their momentum again, and all of it comes courtesy of Carlos Prates. He’s now earned the most important win of his UFC profession, taking out the very man who spurred the recognition of the “Head shot. Useless.” phrase together with his personal spotlight knockout — former welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Edwards appeared to make use of his grappling earlier on, urgent Prates to the fence. Prates then engaged in a trash discuss battle, daring Edwards right into a hanging contest. Ultimately, Prates’ hanging helped him get success, touchdown a left hand that dropped Edwards out chilly in a nasty means.

Prates has continued to rack up end after end, together with his solely loss within the Octagon coming towards Ian Machado Garry — a battle the place he practically completed issues within the fifth in comeback trend. Prates has solidified himself as a reputation within the welterweight title image now, and a title eliminator ought to be in his close to future.

Miss: Leon Edwards Eats Three Ls

Leon Edwards has by no means appeared as dangerous as he has in his final three fights now. He was dominated by Belal Muhammad of their title battle. He then will get decimated by Sean Brady earlier this 12 months in London. Now, after all of the speak about not dealing with a wrestler, Edwards tries to make use of wrestling and will get labored up into a method that bought him straight-up knocked out for the primary time in his UFC profession.

After these three consecutive losses, Edwards may discover himself one loss away from exiting the highest 10. And with how harmful welterweight is with all of the up-and-comers within the division, it’s going to be a protracted, exhausting again to the highest of the mountain for “Rocky.”

Hit: Michael Morales Makes Case For Title Shot

A query surrounding this battle was if Brady’s grappling or Morales’ hanging was going to be an excessive amount of for the opposite. We bought our reply, as Morales put away Brady and appears to have racked up the subsequent title shot at 170.

However then, Brady tried to get his hanging going. And he paid the worth for it as Morales landed a flurry that troubled him. After getting dropped as soon as, Brady was dropped once more from one other Morales mixture, with Morales touchdown follow-up pictures to place the battle away.

Morales is now 19-0 and has now put away Brady, Gilbert Burns, and Neil Magny in his three most up-to-date fights. I’m undecided what Dana White is pondering contemplating him, Carlos Prates, and Ian Machado Garry, however Morales is due for a title shot if White’s phrases because the press convention are something to go by.

Miss: Tremendous Title Fights Aren’t So Tremendous

For all the good highlights that UFC 322 offered, it’s a disgrace that the 2 title fights ended up being maybe the worst a part of all the things.

With Islam Makhachev trying to make historical past and the 2 greatest ladies’s fighters within the UFC as we speak doing battle, you’ll have thought we’d have extra aggressive outings. As a substitute, in each matchups, one fighter proved to be the extra superior by a seeming mile.

Makhachev’s floor dominance was a technique the battle may have gone, however JDM’s efficiency is being panned throughout the board. Zhang, in the meantime, had shockingly no reply for the bottom recreation of Shevchenko.

It’s not that UFC 322 is a nasty card in any respect, however for some, the way in which the 2 title fights performed out left a bitter style.

Hit: Who Can Cease Valentina?

However, let’s speak about Shevchenko. She has dominated by the ladies’s flyweight scene. Even when she bought caught and misplaced to Alexa Grasso, she labored her means again within the latter two fights the pair had. Now, she’s simply taken out probably the most harmful drive that would have come up from 115.

So, what’s subsequent for her? Will Shevchenko defend towards somebody like a Natalia Silva or an Erin Blanchfield? Will she eye her means again as much as 135 — the place she took Amanda Nunes to the restrict twice? Time will inform.

Hit: Makhachev Makes Historical past

After which there’s Makhachev. He could have among the greatest wrestling that may be discovered within the UFC as we speak. He appeared nice at 170, not undersized in any respect. It appeared as if all the things that Makhachev had whereas dominating the light-weight scene was nonetheless discovered at welterweight.

Will we get Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev now? Will Morales, Prates, or Garry get the primary crack at him? Will probably be enjoyable to see what the UFC matchmaking crew decides.

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