Introduction
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev took place on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York City — the most historically resonant UFC venue in the promotion's history. Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to become the UFC welterweight champion, the UFC's 11th simultaneous two-division champion, and tied Anderson Silva's record of 16 consecutive UFC victories. The card produced an estimated 1,000,000 pay-per-view buys.
Makhachev had vacated the lightweight title he had defended four times (Volkanovski twice, Tsarukyan, Moicano) to pursue welterweight glory. At 170 lbs, he was no heavier than during his lightweight reign — the weight cut removal visibly improved his late-round output. The 50-45 scorecards reflected 19:10 of ground control time and a total strike deficit of 140-30 in Makhachev's favour. Della Maddalena tried to keep it standing; Makhachev shot and took him down in the opening minute of every single round.
In the co-main, Valentina Shevchenko retained the women's flyweight title via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) over Zhang Weili in one of the most technically dominant flyweight performances of her championship reign.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
📍 Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
📺 PPV Buys: ~1,000,000
🏆 Main Event: Jack Della Maddalena (c) vs. Islam Makhachev — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Makhachev def. Della Maddalena via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
🥇 Co-Main: Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Zhang Weili via Unanimous Decision (50-45 ×3) — Women's Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Islam Makhachev had vacated the lightweight title shortly after his January 2025 submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311. He cited the weight cut as the limiting factor of his game and moved to welterweight, where he would not need to cut. Della Maddalena, the welterweight champion since his UFC 315 short-notice win over Muhammad, was making his first title defense. Makhachev was -300; Della Maddalena was +230.
Main Event: Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena
Makhachev did to Della Maddalena at welterweight what he had done to every opponent at lightweight: he shot, he took him down, and he controlled every round from top position. The pattern was set in the opening 45 seconds of round one and never changed. Della Maddalena tried to load up on his boxing combinations when standing; Makhachev closed the distance and took him down before any sustained combination could land.
By round three, Della Maddalena appeared to have a leg injury — he was grimacing on the ground and his movement in the standing exchanges was compromised. He went the distance regardless. The 50-45 scorecards across all three judges reflected 19 minutes and 10 seconds of ground control time and a 140-30 total strike differential. Makhachev's post-fight comment: 'I swear to God, my life has changed. No cut weight and I can do whatever I want over five rounds. I made this fight look so easy.'
Islam Makhachev was the UFC welterweight champion. He had tied Anderson Silva's record of 16 consecutive UFC victories. He was the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold championships in two weight classes simultaneously.
Co-Main: Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili
Valentina Shevchenko dominated Zhang Weili, the former two-time UFC strawweight champion, across five rounds. Weili had moved up to flyweight to challenge for her second divisional title; Shevchenko's technical striking, her clinch control, and her overall MMA completeness were too much for the Chinese contender. The 50-45 triple sweep was the most dominant flyweight title defense of Shevchenko's second reign.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena (c) — Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) — Welterweight Title
Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Zhang Weili — Unanimous Decision (50-45 ×3) — Women's Flyweight Title
Michael Morales def. Sean Brady — TKO (punches) — R1, 3:27 — Welterweight
Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards — KO (punch) — R2, 1:28 — Welterweight
Benoit Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush — KO (punch) — R1, 0:16 — Lightweight
Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira — KO (head kick) — R3, 2:24 — Middleweight
Preliminary Card
Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — Middleweight
Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 4:44 — Women's Flyweight
Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert — Submission (D'arce choke) — R1, 0:50 — Middleweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Islam Makhachev — $50,000 for the dominant 50-45 unanimous decision win over Jack Della Maddalena to become the UFC's 11th two-division champion and tie Anderson Silva's consecutive win record.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Valentina Shevchenko — $50,000 for the 50-45 unanimous decision win over Zhang Weili in her most dominant flyweight title defense.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Benoit Saint Denis — $50,000 for the 16-second KO of Beneil Dariush — one of the fastest finishes on a UFC MSG main card.
Records & Milestones
• Makhachev's 16 consecutive UFC wins ties Anderson Silva's all-time UFC record.
• Makhachev became the UFC's 11th simultaneous two-division champion.
• Della Maddalena's welterweight title reign: May 2025 – November 2025 (one defense, zero title fights won).
• Benoit Saint Denis' 16-second KO of Dariush — one of the fastest UFC main card finishes of 2025.
• Carlos Prates KO'd Leon Edwards in round two — the former welterweight champion's second consecutive knockout loss.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden is remembered as the night Islam Makhachev added his name to the all-time UFC record books in the most appropriate venue possible. His tie of Anderson Silva's 16-consecutive-win record at MSG — the arena where the UFC has held some of its greatest title fights — was the kind of moment that the sport's history demands be acknowledged. The 50-45 performance against a welterweight champion, moving up a division without a weight cut for the first time in years, left no doubt about Makhachev's status as the most dominant active fighter in UFC history.
FAQ
Why did Makhachev vacate the lightweight title?
He cited the weight cut as the primary reason. After winning at UFC 311 in January 2025, he announced the move to welterweight to free himself from the 155 lb cut and compete at a natural walking weight. His post-fight statement at UFC 322 — 'No cut weight and I can do whatever I want over five rounds' — confirmed the strategic rationale. His late-round dominance in all five rounds of the Della Maddalena fight exceeded any of his lightweight title defense performances in terms of sustained output.
References
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev — Wikipedia