It might happen that way, but Della Maddalena could just as easily show that divisions are in place for a reason and that he’s in no way ready to cede the welterweight throne to anyone, including an all-time great moving up with designs on conquering his territory. This looks like an incredible fight on paper, and no matter how it plays out on Saturday, it will surely leave us with plenty to discuss going forward.
Flyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili
Just as UC 315 featured a flyweight title fight as the penultimate pairing, so too does UFC 322 as champion Valentina Shevchenko welcomes two-time strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili to the 125-pound ranks in this thrilling clash of all-time greats.
FREE FIGHTS: Zhang vs Jedrzejczyk | Shevchenko vs Murphy
Shevchenko successfully retained her title in Montreal with a hard-fought, unanimous decision win over Manon Fiorot, winning the fifth round — and therefore the fight — on two of three scorecards. The 37-year-old from Kyrgyzstan is now 10-1-1 in a dozen flyweight title fights, and 25-4-1 in her illustrious career while showing little sign of slowing down.
Zhang reclaimed the strawweight title three years ago in New York City, mauling Carla Esparza at UFC 281 to kick off her second reign over the 115-pound weight class. Since then, she’s added unanimous decision wins and successful title defenses over Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan, and Tatiana Suarez to her resume to move to 26-3 overall, and 10-2 in her UFC tenure.
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