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UFC 322 results, highlights: Dominant Islam Makhachev beats Jack Della Maddalena to win another UFC title

Daniel Yanofsky

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UFC 322 results, highlights: Dominant Islam Makhachev beats Jack Della Maddalena to win another UFC title image

NEW YORK — There’s always a special feeling when the UFC returns to New York. The fighters know all eyes are on them, especially if history is on the line. With two champions moving up in weight to win more gold, the possibilities were endless.  

Only one new champion was crowned at UFC 322. Islam Makhachev looked brilliant against Jack Della Maddalena inside Madison Square Garden, dominating the Aussie on the floor to win the UFC welterweight title.

Makhachev (28-1), the former UFC lightweight champion, smothered Della Maddalena (18-3) in the first round, forcing him to stay on the floor following an effective takedown game. It was more of the same throughout the fight. “JDM” attempted to use striking, but to no avail.

Though he looked efficient when blocking Belal Muhammad’s takedowns, Makhachev was a whole other animal for Della Maddalena. Makhachev landed four takedowns and landed 140 total strikes. The judges saw a one-sided affair and scored it accordingly for Makhachev.

Makhachev’s 16-fight win streak has now tied Anderson Silva for the most in UFC history. He is now a two-division champion and may be interested in a third title via Ilia Topuria. Even if he remains in the division, Makhachev requested a fight at the White House.

WATCH: UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev on ESPN+

There were plenty of defining moments at UFC 322, on a card where Ethyn Ewing won the hearts of New York fight fans by competing and winning on 48 hours' notice.

Two top pound-for-pound fighters, in their prime, faced off for UFC flyweight gold. Valentina Shevchenko is the Final Boss of the division and proved why against former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

Zhang (26-4) attempted to use hard strikes against Shevchenko (26-4-1). The latter avoided key blows and forced the fight to the floor several times. Shevchenko attempted to tire Zhang out. She nullified Zhang’s power, making her seem like any other title defense. Shevchenko would win via unanimous decision.

Valentina Shevchenko

Shevchenko has now won three straight and is 3-0-1 in her last four fights. She could face Natalia Silva next. Zhang’s five-fight win streak has come to an end. She may move back to strawweight and face champion Mackenzie Dern.

It was a night of violence at UFC 322, as Michael Morales would not stop attacking Sean Brady. They both looked sharp to start, landing on the head and body of the other. Then, Morales rushed after Brady, landing flurries that brought him down. He continued his assault until the referee called the fight off.

Morales remains unbeaten. At 26, the eighth-ranked fighter at welterweight, who beat number two, may be closer to a title shot.

The Fighting Nerds returned to form after Carlos Prates knocked Leon Edwards out via a long jab. Prates, known for smoking cigarettes, struggled in the first round. He rebounded with a reaching jab that put the former UFC welterweight champion to the floor.

Prates landed an extra shot for good measure. He’s now on a two-fight win streak. Suffering his first knockout loss, Edwards has now lost three straight.

The UFC main card started with a Bo Nickal knockout, a brawl in the crowd with Dillon Danis involved, and Benoit Saint-Denis taking out Beneil Dariush. A leg kick brought Saint-Denis down, but after two uppercuts, a hook took Dariush out for the count.

Saint-Denis has now won three straight.

AllSportsPeople provided results, analysis, and highlights from UFC 322.

UFC 322 results, highlights

Dominant Islam Makhachev beats Jack Della Maddalena to win another UFC title

Round five:  Another Makhachev takedown right away. He tried for the arm submission. At this point, Makhachev was smothering him for the inevitable win. 

SN unofficial scorecard:  10-9 Makhachev (50-45 Makhachev)

Round four:  Makhachev with an early kick. He continued to land kicks all over the body. JDM tried a counter shot. Makhachev landed combinations and was quick with a takedown. He got on JDM's back and tried to lock in the rear-naked choke. 

SN unofficial scorecard:  10-9 Makhachev (40-36 Makhachev)

Round three:  Makhachev got hit with some kicks. He landed a few calf kicks. JDM almost lost his balance. Makhachev with sharp jabs. JDM with scrap in the middle. Takedown from Makhachev via shooting the legs. He smothered JDM. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Makhachev (30-27 Makhachev)

Round two:  Makhachev with a leg kick. High kick. JDM attempted some offense. Scramble on the floor. Makhachev was in side position. He used shoulder attacks on the floor. Makhachev with elbows. Back up, JDM looked tired. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Makhachev (20-18 Makhachev)

Round one:  Makhachev went for leg kicks. JFM tried to chase him down. JDM tried to jab away as he was anticipating a takedown. Makhachev landed a takedown. He got to the back of JDM. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Makhachev

The main event is up next: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title.

Valentina Shevchenko beats Zhang Weili in shutout to retain flyweight gold

Round five: Zhang tried to land strikes, but   Shevchenko held onto her. Kick to the stomach. Another takedown. Zhang hasn't provided much offense. Just another title defense.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (50-45 Shevchenko)

Round four: Kick to the chest of Zhang to open round three. Elbows landed by both. Kick to the stomach, and Shevchenko is on a roll. Another takedown for Shevchenko. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9   Shevchenko (40-36 Shevchenko)

Round three: Zhang with a high kick. Shevchenko with a counter jab. Spinning kick to the body of Zhang. By the cage, Zhang landed an elbow. A takedown by Shevchenko. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Shevchenko (30-27 Shevchenko)

Round two: Big counter shot by Shevchenko. She took Zhang down again. In the crucifix, Shevchenko had Zhang stuck. She then landed small, sharp shots. 

SN unofficial scorecard:  10-9 Shevchenko (20-18 Shevchenko) 

Round one: Zhang went for a jab early on. She hurt Shevchenko with a shot to the face. Zhang pushed forward. She landed a body kick. They exchanged shots. Shevchenko ended up on top of her on the floor. Back up, Zhang landed an elbow. Hard shot by Zhang. Back down, Shevchenko had side position. 

SN unofficial scorecard:  10-9 Shevchenko 

The People's Main Event is up next: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili for the UFC flyweight title. Two of the best, facing off for the ultimate bragging rights. 

Aggressive Michael Morales takes out Sean Brady

Brady with solid jabs to start the fight. Morales tried to run him down. Morales landed several hooks. Brady landed short shots. They exchanged hooks. Morales with a series of shots that dropped Brady. He landed a few more and it's all over!

Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales is next. This could be a good one, folks. 

Jab gives Carlos Prates knockout win against Leon Edwards

10:45 p.m. ET: Both tried leg kicks in the second round. Straight jab and Prates knocked Edwards out. Get that man a cigarette. 

10:41 p.m. ET: Edwards with a leg kick early on in the fight. He continued to aim for the legs of Prates. Sharp shot by Edwards. Prates was backed up into the cage. Edwards dropped Prates. On his back, Edwards tried punching his face, but Prates shrugged it off. Back on the floor, Edwards tried a rear-naked choke. 

Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates is next. 

Benoit Saint-Denis with an early night following KO win against Beneil Dariush

10:22 p.m. ET: Saint-Denis went down with a leg kick, but then Dariush got hit with a hook to the side of the head, forcing him down to the floor. The fight is over. 

Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis opens the main card. 

There was a massive brawl before the main card started. It seems Dillon Danis was involved. 

10 p.m. ET: The main card has started. 

9:55 p.m. ET: Nickal has slowed things down. Way down. High kick to the neck from Nickal! Wow! Sweet Chin Music. 

9:50 p.m. ET: Nickal landed a jab. He landed combinations and a leg kick. Nickal landed sharp punches to counter Vieira's offense. Vieira continued to aim for Nickal's legs. Nickal landed a shot to the face of a leaning Vieira. Vieira landed a shot that pushed Nickal back. Nickal held Vieira down by the neck. 

9:44 p.m. ET: Nickal going for striking right away, not the wrestling many expect. Takedown from Nickal and hammerfists right away. Vieira got back up. He landed hard shots to Nickal by the cage. Nickal took Vieira down. An elbow connected. Vieira tried to chop the legs of Nickal.  

9:35 p.m. ET: Bo Nickal, not on the main card, is up next. Last year he won inside MSG with a subpar performance. What will happen a year later against Rodolfo Vieira? 

9:30 p.m. ET: Rodrigues with a body shot. He landed a knee and a body shot. Several jabs landed. Kopylov absorbed several shots. He landed a high kick. Both exchanged shots in the third. Leg kicks started reigning down before the fight ended. Rodrigues won via unanimous decision.

9:19 p.m. ET: Both are ready to land a vicious knockout. Rodrigues pushed Kopylov back with a few shots in the first. He landed a high kick. A knee connected. Kopylov reversed a takedown attempt. Rodrigues started landing but Kopylov landed a takedown. Kneebar attempt from Rodrigues. Hard knee from "Robocop" but he got pushed back after another leg kick. 

9:05 pm. ET: Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues is next. 

8:56 p.m. ET: Blanchfield quickly got up. She pressed Cortez by the cage and landed a few combinations. Cortez landed an uppercut. Kick from Cortez. A takedown from Blanchfield. She tried to get Cortez to tap. On her back, Blanchfield took Cortez down again. She locked in the rear-naked choke for the win. 

8:52 p.m. ET: Cortez landed an early leg kick. She hit a quick strike and pressed forward. Combinations connected from Cortez. A kick and knee landed, while Blanchfield landed low kicks. Cortez look a little beat up. Cortez landed ombinations in round two followed by a takedown. She got on Blanchfield's back.  

8:42 p.m. ET: Fan favorite Tracy Cortez competes next against Erin Blanchfield. Cortez beat Blanchfield in Invicta in 2019. 

8:34 p.m. ET: This is a Fight of the Night contender. Combinations from Wellmaker in the third connected. Ewing landed sharp uppercuts. Uppercut from Ewing. He landed combinations. Ewing pushed Wellmaker back, and stuffed a takedown attempt. Counter shots connected and Ewing was on a roll. Another takedown. AllSportsPeople scored it 30-27 for Ewing. 

Ewing, a replacement opponent, won via UD. 

8:26 p.m.ET: They exchanged shots in the middle of the cage. Ewing landed combinations. He continued to punish the face of Wellmaker. Spinning kick from Wellmaker. Straight shot from Wellmaker. Ewing with elbows and uppercuts. Takedown from Ewing. Spinning elbow by Wellmaker, uppercut from Ewing. 

8:21 p.m. ET: Ewing tried for the upset early with a high kick. Wellmaker with a sharp counter shot that stumbled Ewing. Ewing dropped Wellmaker early in the first with a takedown. He landed knees to the head of Wellmaker. High kick from Wellmaker in round two. Ewing with a few punches that connected. 

8:13 p.m. ET: Malcolm Wellmaker continues to get great crowd reactions this week. He faces Ethyn Ewing. 

8 p.m. ET: The prelims have started. 

7:55 p.m. ET: Daukaus chopped Meerschaert down to the floor right away. On the floor, he forced Meerschaert to tap. Very fast fight. 

7:52 p.m. ET: The featured early prelim fight of the night saw Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert.

7:47 p.m. ET: The next early prelim fight saw plenty of action, a cut by the eye, and plenty of takedown attempts. Pat Sabatini beat Chepe Mariscal via unanimous decision. 

7:17 p.m. ET: After almost finishing her, Fatima Kline went the distance against and beat the durable Angela Hill. 

6:52 p.m. ET: Baisangur Susurkaev landed a brutal right hand to beat Eric McConico in the third round. 

6:25 p.m. ET: The first prelim of the night saw Matheus Camilo beat Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision. 

6 p.m. ET: The early prelims have started. 

Hello everyone, and welcome to AllSportsPeople' live coverage of UFC 322. 

UFC 322 results

Main Card

  • Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena (c) via unanimous decision for the UFC welterweight title (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
  • Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Zhang Weili via unanimous decision for the UFC flyweight title (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
  • Michael Morales def. Sean Brady via TKO (3:27 into round one)
  • Carlos Prates def.  Leon Edwards via KO (1:28 into round two)  
  • Benoit Saint-Denis def. Beneil Dariush via KO (0:16 into round one)

Prelims

  • Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira via KO (2:24 into round three)
  • Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez via rear-naked choke (4:44 into round two)
  • Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Early Prelims

  • Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert via D'Arce Choke (0:50 into round one)
  • Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 
  • Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico via KO (1:38 into round three)
  • Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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