After an incredible PPV event at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, headlined by the controversial no-contest main event between Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall and No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane. The UFC heads back to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for UFC 322 taking place on Saturday, November 15th.
Beniel Dariush vs Benoit Saint Denis
The first fight of the main card features a lightweight bout between No. 8-ranked Beniel Dariush and No. 13-ranked Benoit Saint Denis. Both fighters are coming off of impressive wins but I think this will be too big of a challenge for Dariush. He is 36 years old and is going up against a 29-year old Saint Denis who is currently entering the prime of his career. I don’t see this fight going the distance and believe that we’ll see a round-two finish for Saint Denis who gets the win via submission.
Prediction: Arm Triangle
Leon Edwards vs Carlos Prates
Next up, we have No. 4-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards taking on No. 9-ranked Carlos Prates. It has been a rough stretch for Leon, he has lost his last two fights and saw his last win come nearly two years ago. He takes on Carlos Prates who just had a nasty spinning elbow knockout on Geoff Neal in August. I view this as a must-win fight for Edwards because I don’t know what his future in the UFC looks like if he were to lose again.
Unfortunately for Edwards, I think he will ultimately lose this fight. Carlos Prates has a four-inch reach advantage and poses a bigger threat to Leon with his punching power. This should be a fantastic matchup where we see clean exchanges from both fighters, but I believe this fight will go the distance with a 29-28 decision win for Prates. However, don’t be surprised if we see him get the knockout finish in round two or three.
Prediction: Decision
Sean Brady vs Michael Morales
We have another welterweight matchup, this time it’s No. 2-ranked Sean Brady taking on No. 8-ranked Michael Morales. This is one of my favorite matchups on the card, Brady with a record of 18-1 taking on the undefeated 18-0 Morales is sure to bring fireworks for the fans. As of now, the betting lines for this fight are nearly even, with Brady being the slight favorite. As good as Morales is, I think Sean Brady is a future UFC Champion.
His grappling has improved over the years and I think that is his path to victory in this fight. He should be able to control the knockout specialist Morales and take him into deep waters where there is no escape. Sean Brady will win this fight via rear-naked choke in round two. Even if Morales loses this fight, his potential is sky high. He is only 26 years old and has so much room for improvement. I just think it’s Sean Brady’s time to get a title shot, which I think he’ll earn if he gets the job done vs Morales.
Prediction: Rear-naked choke
Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili
In the co-main event of the evening, we have arguably the biggest matchup in women’s UFC history. Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko will face her biggest test yet against China’s Zhang Weili. Zhang Weili has been the face of the women’s strawweight division since 2022 and decided to vacate her championship belt to move up a weight class to create this super fight.
The betting odds for this fight are dead even at -113, and it makes total sense. I truly do not know who will win this fight, both fighters are extremely well-rounded with sharp striking and great chins. If there is one advantage in this fight, I can potentially see Zhang Weili feeling a difference in power since she is going up a weight class and may have trouble adjusting. This fight can go either way, but I’d give the slight edge to Zhang Weili getting the win via split decision, becoming the new Women’s Flyweight Champion of the world.
Prediction : Decision
Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev
The moment you all have been waiting for, in the main event of the evening we have the Welterweight Champion Jack Della Meddalena putting his belt on the line against former Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. Maddalena is coming off of a statement win over Belal Muhammed in May, where he became the new champ, but his competition has only gotten tougher for this matchup. Makhachev vacated his lightweight belt to move up and take over the welterweight division.
Both fighters pose a threat to each other, Della Maddalena has the striking advantage and Makhachev has the grappling. This will be an absolute war, with both fighters likely to be bloodied by the end as they give it their all. But unfortunately for Jack Della Maddalena, his title run will be short lived. I view Makhachev as the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world and don’t see any way he loses this fight. He is too strong, too experienced, and too mentally tough for Maddalena. My prediction is he’ll win this fight via submission after wearing down Jack for the first three rounds. Maddalena will make one crucial mistake that costs him his belt.
Prediction : D’arce Choke