NEW YORK – UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday that Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena and Valentina shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili will headline UFC 322. The promotion returns to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15 for what promises to be a stacked card.
Makhachev, looking to become a two-division champion, will face Della Maddalena in the main event. Shevchenko and Zhang will meet in the co-main event. white revealed the bout pairings via Instagram.
- Valentina Shevchenko will face Zhang Weili in the co-main event.
- Leon Edwards vs.Carlos Prates is also set for the Nov. 15 card.
- Zhang is vacating her strawweight title to challenge Shevchenko.
- Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba will fight for the vacant strawweight title at UFC 321.
Makhachev previously vacated the lightweight title in May. He had set a record with four title defenses in the division.Ilia Topuria later claimed the vacant belt by knocking out Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev is aiming to become the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. This fight marks Della Maddalena’s first title defense. He won the welterweight championship by defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.
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In the co-main event, Shevchenko will defend her women’s flyweight title for the second time in her current reign.Zhang, a two-time strawweight champion, is moving up in weight for this highly anticipated bout.
Shevchenko enters the fight on a three-fight win streak. Zhang has won her last five fights.Many are calling Shevchenko vs. Zhang the best women’s fight the promotion has scheduled in years.
With Zhang moving up, UFC has added a second title fight to the UFC 321 card. Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern will compete for the vacant strawweight title on Oct. 25. That event is headlined by UFC heavyweight champion Tom aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane.
Dern defeated Jandiroba by unanimous decision in 2020. Since then, Dern has a record of 5-4, while Jandiroba is 6-1.
