The year is winding down, and the UFC has two pay-per-views left and four total cards remaining before 2026. This week, they head to Madison Square Garden in New York City for two title fights. The first is a women's flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili in the co-main event.
The second title fight is an anticipated matchup between welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, who is moving up after dominating the lightweight division for years. The early prelims start at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the prelims start at 8:00 p.m. on ESPNews. The main card begins at 10:00 p.m. on pay-per-view (PPV).
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UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Betting Profile: Jack Della Maddalena (+230)
Jack Della Maddalena won the welterweight strap from Belal Muhammad in his last fight with a unanimous decision victory in May. He is on an eight-fight winning streak, winning all of his fights in the UFC.
Della Maddalena averages 6.84 significant strikes landed and absorbs 4.53 significant strikes per minute. Della Maddalena lands with 52% accuracy and defends 64% of his opponents’ significant strikes. He only lands 0.16 takedowns per 15 minutes and defends 69% of takedowns.
Betting Profile: Islam Makhachev (-285)
Islam Makhachev is moving up to welterweight after vacating his lightweight belt. He defended his title four consecutive times after winning it over Charles Oliveira in 2022. He beat Alexander Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano during his title reign. Makhachev is 16-1 in the UFC and is on a 15-fight winning streak.
Makhachev lands 2.63 significant strikes and absorbs 1.55 significant strikes per minute. He lands with 58% accuracy and defends 61% of opponents’ significant strikes. He lands 3.20 takedowns per 15 minutes at 53% accuracy. Makhachev has defended 90% of takedowns in the UFC and has not surrendered a takedown in seven consecutive fights. He also averages 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev Prediction
Jack Della Maddalena is one of the best strikers in the UFC, and he is improving every time he steps in the octagon. He showed solid wrestling skills against Belal Muhammad in his last fight, which should help him in this matchup. The problem is that Islam Makhachev is the UFC’s best wrestler since Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is a longtime training partner and now his coach. Fighters struggle to get up after getting taken down by Makhachev.
There are a lot of variables in this fight, the main one being Makhachev moving up in weight. I do not expect it to be a problem in this matchup. He is giving up three inches of reach, which could be a problem against a high-caliber boxer. The difference between lightweight and welterweight is 15 pounds, but Makhachev cut a lot of weight to get down to 155 pounds.
I expect this fight to hit the mat early, and Della Maddalena struggles to get back to his feet like he did against Muhammad. Makhachev's pressure from the top position is unlike anyone's currently in the UFC. I think he finds a submission after taking the back of Della Maddalena.
Bet: Islam Makhachev to Win by Submission (+180)
