Islam Makhachev did exactly what he said he was going to do. He came up to welterweight and dominated the champion to add the 170-pound title to his mantle. On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in the main event of UFC 322, Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision.
Makhachev cemented his place as the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world with the wire-to-wire domination of Maddalena (50-45 x 3), and he became the 11th fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple divisions. This fight was never close.
Makhachev outlanded JDM 123-31, hit on all four of his takedown attempts, and enjoyed 19:10 of control time during the fight.
What’s next for Makhachev? It’s possible his next challenger could come from someone on the card or perhaps a battle with the winner of Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry next week. We’ll see. Here is some of the reaction from UFC fighters following Makhachev’s dominant win.
Reigning lightweight champion Ilia Topuria had a particularly savage take for both the winner and loser.
Just as dominant, in the co-main event Valentina Shevchenko dismantled former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Shevchenko also won every round on all three scorecards.
Shevchenko outlanded Weili 130-80. The flyweight queen enjoyed 13:24 of control time and secured five takedowns. Weili looked too weak and overmatched in every aspect of the sport. While Shevchenko was the favorite, the ease in which she dispatched Weili was a little surprising.
The only potential opponent left for Shevchenko is Natalia Silva. She is currently ranked No. 2 in the division. Silva is undefeated in the UFC (7-0) and has won 13 fights in a row overall.
UFC 322 Results, Bonuses and Highlights
Here is a look at all of the results from the card and highlights of the finishes as well as the performance bonuses.
- Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena (c) via unanimous decision (50-45 50-45, 50-45) – Makhachev wins UFC welterweight championship
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Zhang Weili via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – Shevchenko defends the UFC women’s flyweight championship
- BONUS – Michael Morales def. Sean Brady via first-round knockout (punches)
In addition to earning a bonus, Morales put himself on a short list of guys who could get a shot at dethroning Makhachev. After this KO win over Brady, his status level took a leap.
- BONUS – Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards via second-round knockout (punch)
We’ve never seen Edwards stopped like this. Prates destroyed the former champ with a piston-like straight left that put Rocky out. The finish earned the Brazilian a bonus. Prates is another with an eye on the prize. Perhaps Prates vs. Morales is a fight that makes sense next.
- BONUS – Benoit Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush via first-round knockout (punch)
Dariush came in 1.2 pounds overweight. He had to forfeit a percentage of his purse and was then knocked out cold by Saint-Denis. BSD didn’t just earn a bonus for the finish, he is on a rocket ship upward since he suffered back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. This definitive win over Dariush could land him in the top 10 at 155 pounds.
- BONUS – Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira via third-round knockout (head kick)
Who says all Nickal does is wrestle? He flattened Vieira with a well-placed left head kick that was arguably the highlight of the night at UFC 322. It was good enough for a bonus.
A battle with Joe Pyfer would be great for the sport.
- Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez via second-round submission (rear naked choke)
Blanchfield solidified her spot as No. 4 in the flyweight division with a submission win over Cortez. There are levels.
- Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert via first-round submission (d’arce choke)
- 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 third-round knockout (punches)
The Susurkaev hype train rolls on as the highly touted prospect scored a beautiful third-round KO against a game and skilled opponent in McConico. Still, Susurkaev still has the look of a star.
- Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)