At Madison Square Garden (NYC), Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision (50–45 x3) to claim the welterweight title, stretching his win streak to 16. In the co-main, Valentina Shevchenko outpointed Zhang Weili to retain her flyweight crown. Elsewhere: Carlos Prates stopped Leon Edwards, Bo Nickal head-kicked Rodolfo Vieira, and Benoît Saint Denis iced Beneil Dariush in 16 seconds.
Marquee results
Main event — Welterweight title (5R)
Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena — UD (50–45, 50–45, 50–45)
Wrestling tempo, fence pins, and timely takedowns banked minutes each round. Makhachev leaves MSG as a two-division UFC champion.
Co-main — Women’s Flyweight title (5R)
Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili — Unanimous Decision
Distance control, opportunistic takedowns, and championship pacing sealed the defense.
Other pivotal fights
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Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards — KO, R2 (perfect straight left; Edwards’ first UFC KO loss).
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Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira — KO (head kick), R3 2:24.
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Benoît Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush — KO, R1 (~0:16).
Bonus winners ($50K)
Performance of the Night: Carlos Prates, Michael Morales, Bo Nickal, Benoît Saint Denis.
Brazil watch — how they did
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Carlos Prates: spectacular KO over Leon Edwards + bonus; called for a title shot.
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Rodolfo Vieira: fell to Bo Nickal via late head-kick.
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(Other Brazilian names fluctuated with late card changes.)
Quick reads — what decided the big ones
Makhachev vs. JDM: clean level changes, hip pins at the fence, and top control muted JDM’s boxing minutes.
Shevchenko vs. Weili: five-round discipline—front-kick range, well-timed entries, and score-banking control.
Prates vs. Edwards: base adjustments with low kicks set the lane for that laser left.
Nickal vs. Vieira: persistent pressure and variety, capped by a perfect R3 head kick.
BSD vs. Dariush: explosive pocket entry, heavy hands, curtain-closer in under 20 seconds.
Three numbers that tell the story
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50–45 — triple scorecards for Makhachev.
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16 — Makhachev’s consecutive UFC wins.
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4 — Performance bonuses handed out (all finishers).
What’s next (fast matchmaking)
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Islam Makhachev (WW champ): winner of a Shavkat Rakhmonov track or Belal vs. Garry makes sense.
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Valentina Shevchenko: likely lanes—Erin Blanchfield or Manon Fiorot.
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Carlos Prates: if not an immediate shot, book a Top-5 welterweight next.
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Bo Nickal: into the middleweight Top-15 mix after a signature finish.
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Benoît Saint Denis: leverage momentum toward a BMF bout or a top-lightweight eliminator.
UFC 322 delivered a statement night: Makhachev asserted control from bell to bell, Shevchenko stayed queen at 125, and the undercard produced viral KOs from Prates, Nickal, and BSD. The message from MSG: effective damage and control win nights—and the welterweight throne now has a new ruler.
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Comment: who should challenge Makhachev next at 170?
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