Mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Islam Makhachev will look to win his first welterweight title when he takes on reigning champion Jacques Della Maddalena at UFC 322.
Makhachev’s last fight in the UFC came in January when he defeated Renato Moicano by submission to successfully defend the lightweight title belt he won for the first time in 2022.
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Four months later, the Russian fighter vacated the lightweight title and boldly announced his decision to move up a weight class and challenge Australia’s Della Maddalena in one of the most anticipated UFC bouts on the 2025 calendar.
Here’s what you need to know about UFC 322.
When does the UFC 322 fight start?
The main event between Della Maddalena and Makhachev will take place on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The five-fight main card is scheduled to begin at 10pm (3pm AEST), with the ring walk for Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev not scheduled to take place before 11:30pm (4:30pm AEST). The four-game preliminary card begins at 8pm (1am GMT on Sunday).
Why did Makhachev switch from lightweight to welterweight?
Makhachev, a four-time defending lightweight champion, vacated the belt in May to move up to welterweight.
The Russian told ESPN that losing weight was difficult for the 155-pound (70 kg) lightweight, which affected his performance and recovery.
“My life has changed since I changed ranks. All my life I had to think about what I would eat. …Now I can eat what I want and laugh.”
“At 155 pounds, it’s very difficult. … I’m really looking forward to seeing how I feel in the cage right now,” he said.
Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev – Contrasting fighting styles
Della Maddalena is a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and trains with renowned Australian coach Ben Vickers. Unsurprisingly, Della Maddalena excels at powerful and accurate punches and kicks to the body and face. He is a deadly striker on the counter attack.
Vickers claimed in a recent interview with Fox Sports that his charger will silence the many doubters who believe Makhachev and his trademark grappling wrestling background are too much for the Australian fighter.
“He’s going to keep showing up to beat whoever you put in front of him,” Vickers said.
“He just got Belal Muhammad’s streak. Next he’ll get Islam’s streak. And it’ll be (fellow welterweight challenger) Shavkat Rakhmonov’s streak. He’ll win them all.”
Makhachev’s trademark style was honed under the tutelage of legendary former UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and is built on a foundation of world-class wrestling and grappling. He is also a striker who is underrated by his opponents.
After gaining top control, his exquisite ground and pound attacks wear down his opponent and often lead to submissions.
Della Maddalena Makhachev: What are the betting odds?
Della Maddalena will start as the heavy underdog against Makhachev at the bookmakers.
BetMGM in the US has Makhachev the odds-on favorite at -275, with Della Maddalena at +225.
According to Bet365, similar bookmakers outside the United States are pegging the Russian player’s winnings at $1.36, while Della Maddalena’s winnings are expected to win at $3.25.
Will Donald Trump join the fight?
At this point, it is unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will attend UFC 322 in the city where he was born and spent most of his life.
President Trump attended UFC 316, the last major UFC event in the region, on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York.
The 79-year-old’s involvement with the UFC dates back to 2001, when he hosted two events in New Jersey.
If Makhachev wins against Della Maddalena, will he fight Topria?
Ilya Topria and Makhachev, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, are widely considered among the top fighters in mixed martial arts, and Topria has already said that if the Russian defeats Della Maddalena, he intends to move up in weight class and face Makhachev at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds.
Both fighters agreed that if the fight were to go ahead, the much-hyped UFC event at the White House in June would be the ideal venue to host what is believed to be the biggest box-office UFC contest since 2018’s memorable showdown between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
“I saw (Charles Oliveira) fight and (Topria) he was good,” Makhachev told ESPN. “We’ve got some good fights right now and I know (Topuria) is going to fight soon and we’ll see what happens. He wants to fight at the White House and I want to be there. I know the UFC wants to have a big fight at the White House. What’s a bigger fight than this?”
The UFC has not announced any fights at the White House event, although President Trump has said it will be held on June 14th.
Who is Islam Makhachev?
The 34-year-old fighter from Russia’s Dagestan region has become one of the biggest names in MMA thanks to his three-year undefeated streak as UFC lightweight champion. A disciple and close friend of UFC legend Nurmagomedov, Makhachev, whose father Abdulmanap coached both fighters from Dagestani, made his MMA debut in 2011 and signed his first contract with the UFC three years later. The southpaw is known for his strong grappling skills and incredible striking accuracy (59%) with a reach of 70 inches (178 cm). During his more than 10-year career in the UFC, Makhachev successfully defended his belt four times and established himself as a legend in the lightweight division. Makhachev, who recently vacated the UFC lightweight title and moved up the ranks, has been on an incredible run with 15 straight wins in the UFC since losing the only professional fight of his MMA career to Brazil’s Adriano Martins on October 3, 2015.
Who is Jacques Della Maddalena?
Maddalena, also known by his initials JDM, is from Perth, Australia and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His height is 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters) and his current fighting weight is listed as 77 kilograms (170 pounds). He has been undefeated in 18 consecutive MMA fights since May 28, 2016. The 29-year-old upset Muhammad at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada to become the new UFC welterweight champion. He will make his first defense of the UFC title against Makhachev on Saturday.
What does Makhachev say about this battle?
Saturday’s fight will be Makhachev’s sixth consecutive title fight, but his first as a challenger. In an interview with ESPN on October 27, the Russian player spoke about the Australian’s strengths and weaknesses.
“I’ve watched all his matches. He’s good. His striking is good. His boxing is very good. You know, his wrestling isn’t very good, but he’s good on the ground. He knows how to defend, how to escape, how to stand up. You know, he has good skills on the ground as well. … His striking is really good. That’s why he’s one of the best in the world right now.”
On moving up a weight class for the Della Maddalena fight:
“He’s not like some guy with crazy powers. … I don’t think Jack has more than me.”
Regarding Nurmagomedov’s pre-fight message:
“It’s no secret. He told me, ‘Please put him down.’
“I think I can finish him off on the ground. Choking him, doing armbars, things like that. I’ve seen his skill set on the ground. They’re good, but I’ve got more than that.”
What does della Maddalena say about this battle?
The welterweight champion claims his grappling proficiency in the Octagon will surprise Makhachev:
“Maybe in his mind he thinks he’s going to take me down, immobilize me, even finish me off. But I have enough level to surprise him on the ground: strength, technique and defense that we’ve always worked on. When he plays at his highest level, I’m going to make him unstable. The key is to stay calm. People underestimate how disconcerting it is for someone to be calm and focused. I think the majority of the fight will be in the standings, and that’s where I can surprise him,” Della Maddalena said on Main Event TV.
Della Maddalena said of moving up a weight class to fight Makhachev.
“I think it’s good for him to move up the rankings. It was obviously a big wake-up call for him. He’s obviously getting bigger and developing. I think it was a good move for him. I just think the timing was bad,” he said on the New York Post Sports podcast.
What is Makhachev’s record?
Number of fights: 28 Number of wins: 27 Number of losses: 1 Number of knockouts: 5 wins, 1 loss Submissions: 13 wins Number of decisions: 9 wins
What is Della Maddalena’s record?
Number of fights: 20 Number of wins: 18 Number of losses: 2 Number of knockouts: 12 wins, 1 loss Submissions: 2 wins, 1 loss Number of decisions: 4 wins
status attack
Makhachev – Days since last defeat: 3,697 (from October 3 to November 15, 2015) Della Maddalena – Days since last defeat: 3,461 (from May 28 to November 15, 2016)
Who will fight in the co-main event of UFC 322?
In the penultimate bout of Saturday’s UFC 322, women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan will defend her title against China’s Zhang Weili in the co-main event.
Former strawweight titleholder Zhang has vacated her belt and moved up a weight class to take on Shevchenko in what promises to be an intriguing bout between two of the UFC’s biggest female stars.
What is the full fight card for UFC 322?
Main Card (Starts at 10pm | Sunday 03:00 GMT):
Dela Maddalena (Australia) vs. Makhachev (Russia) – Title fight Shevchenko (Kyrgyzstan) vs. Zhang (China) – Title fight Sean Brady (USA) vs. Michael Morales (Ecuador) – Welterweight Leon Edwards (UK) vs. Carlos Prates (Brazil) – Welterweight Beneil Darish (USA) vs. Benoît Saint-Denis (France) – Lightweight
Preliminary Card (starts at 8pm | Sunday 01:00 GMT):
Bo Nikal (USA) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (Brazil) – Middleweight Roman Kopylov (Russia) vs. Gregory Rodriguez (Brazil) – Middleweight Erin Blanchfield (USA) vs. Tracy Cortez (USA) – Women’s Flyweight Malcolm Wellmaker (USA) vs. Cody Haddon (Australia) – Bantamweight
How to watch UFC 322
Al Jazeera Sports will broadcast live build-up and text commentary streams for the match from 1am GMT on Sunday.
UFC 322 is a pay-per-view event that will be shown on various online streaming services including ESPN+, DAZN, Amazon Prime Video, and TNT Sports in the United States.
