UFC 322 is in the books, and we have two new fighters entering the GOAT debate.
In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko added to her already spectacular resume, dominating former strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the battle of the top two pound-for-pound women in the sport. Then, in the main event, Islam Makhachev was similarly dominant against Jack Della Maddalena, becoming just the 11th two-division champion in UFC history.
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It’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive into all the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 322.
1. What is your blurb review of UFC 322?
Lee: A high-stakes show that was never going to live up to the hype from a pure action standpoint, but still provided some incredible highs… and some depressing lows.
Heck: Had an all-time stretch from the featured prelim to featured main card bout — then things got a little less aesthetically pleasing, but damn Makhachev and Shevchenko bullied their opponents.
Martin: A high stakes event that paid off immensely with new contenders emerging and a couple of champions continuing to cement their all-time great status.
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Meshew: Man, that rocked. Many fans probably hated the headlining fights — and I’d never claim they were all-time bangers — but I enjoyed them immensely, and was incredibly impressed by Makhachev and Shevchenko.
2. Where does Islam Makhachev rank all-time?
Lee: I can’t say for sure, but he’s definitely passed his pal Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“The Eagle” always had a tenuous grip on a top 5 spot, with his – some would say premature – retirement leaving plenty of question marks when it comes to assessing his GOAT credentials. No one should blame Nurmagomedov for leaving on his terms and preserving a perfect record, but selfishly, we all wanted to know for sure if there was a limit to his dominance.
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Now, Makhachev has done something Nurmagomedov never even tried to do by winning a UFC title in a second division. He’s also tied Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive wins inside the octagon. Add in the fact that if you squint, the gap in their quality of competition isn’t that wide, and you can understand why I think Makhachev is closer to that No. 1 spot than Nurmagomedov ever was.
Heck: When this was first presented after the event, I wasn’t sure where to put him. But after weighing it out, I’m comfortable putting him at No. 8 — but if you have him higher, I’ll have a hard time disagreeing.
The one thing that slightly dings Makhachev, and keeps him from being higher, is his overall strength of schedule, which is completely out of his control. He accepted and signed for fights against tough opposition many times, and while they didn’t make it to the octagon, Makhachev always said yes to whatever replacement was offered without hesitation, and he ran them all over. Of course, having Rafael dos Anjos, Beneil Dariush, and a second Arman Tsarukyan win on his résumé would be a big boost, but he can only fight the men standing across from him.
Makhachev not only ran over Jack Della Maddalena to capture his second divisional title, he did it in a way where I’ve never seen a fighter more frustrated than JDM was. The looks on JDM’s face from the end of the third round through the final horn are something I’ll never forget. For years, Douglas Lima held that title when he got dominated by Yaroslav Amosov, and while Della Maddalena tried his hardest to keep fighting, he now wears that unfortunate crown. Makhachev is inside the top 10 of the best fighters we’ve ever seen, and he can still get higher on that list depending on his next moves.
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Martin: Right now, Islam Makhachev has definitely put himself in the conversation as one of the top 10 greatest fighters of all-time, but he’s still got some work to do to reach that elite status where fighters like Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva enjoy some very rarified air.
What Makhachev did on Saturday was pretty incredible, especially after watching Zhang Weili get bullied around the cage for 25 minutes in her ill-fated attempt at moving up a weight class in an attempt to become a two-division champion. Makhachev’s feat is made even more special because in history, welterweight and lightweight are bar none the two toughest and deepest divisions in the sport.
But true greatness, in my humble opinion, is built through championship wins and longevity at the top of the sport. Makhachev’s current run is pretty incredible, but some of his biggest wins came before he was champion, so that hurts his overall resume just a little bit. Add to that, becoming a two-division champion isn’t the niche accomplishment it once was — 8 out of the 10 fighters who accomplished that goal before Makhachev have all done it within the past nine years.
If Makhachev can defend his welterweight title three or four times, then he truly separates himself from the pack, and he has a list of accolades that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best to ever do it.
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Meshew: Here’s the thing about saying stuff like, “He’s top 10 all-time,” when you actually start listing it out, that top-10 list fills up quickly.
Right now, six fighters have accomplished such an absurd amount that they are in a class by themselves: Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, Jose Aldo, Anderson Silva, and Fedor Emelianenko. That leaves just four spots in the top 10 for the rest of the male fighters throughout MMA history to vie for. Does Makhachev have a case to snag one of those spots? Yes. But so do Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Alex Pereira, and others. Heck, Merab Dvalishvili is very close to securing his spot as the seventh member of the Pantheon right now. There is simply an absurd amount of great fighters throughout history, so it’s hard to be certain of anything.
Here’s what I am certain of: Islam Makhachev is one of the best fighters, possibly the best fighter, of his generation, and he’s doing things rarely equalled in MMA. If he retired tomorrow, plenty of people would make the case that he’s top 10 all-time, and it’s not ridiculous. But for me, I think Makhachev is firmly in the top 20 male fighters all-time, and he has plenty of opportunity to rise. It’ll be fun to see how high he climbs.
3. What about Valentina Shevchenko?
Lee: No. 1 with an *ahem* bullet.
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Call it recency bias (because it is), but Shevchenko has ever-so-slightly surpassed Amanda Nunes in my eyes, despite Nunes claiming two wins over Shevchenko and one of the best highlight reels of any champion in UFC history. Shevchenko’s longevity is truly impressive, and I view her grueling three-fight series with Alexa Grasso as a credit to her excellence as opposed to a criticism. And even though Nunes has a pair of titles to her name and some key signature victories (Shevchenko twice, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm), overall, I think we can agree “The Lioness” ruled over two of the weakest divisions in all of MMA.
Plus, Shevchenko just thoroughly outclassed her lone, remaining contemporary worthy of a No. 1 pound-for-pound discussion. There isn’t much more she needs to do to strengthen her case.
Meshew: Yeah, I had Shevchenko as my No. 1 female fighter of all-time before Saturday, and now I just feel even more confident about that. If you have Nunes or Cyborg above her, I’m at least open to those arguments, but “Bullet” holds the top spot for me.
I place an enormous amount of importance on championship wins and title defenses, and on Saturday, Shevchenko tied Nunes for most championship wins and set the record for most title defenses. And she did it in a dominant display over the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The fact that she’s 37, has been fighting for 20 years, and still has that sort of performance in her is insane.
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God love Amanda Nunes, but half of her title wins were, well, featherweight isn’t a real division. No woman has accomplished more than Shevchenko has in this sport.
Heck: She officially leapfrogged Cris Cyborg for me, and that puts her at No. 2 behind Amanda Nunes.
All respect to Cyborg, and what she’s accomplished, but Shevchenko’s résumé is just so much more impressive due to an immensely tougher strength of schedule. It’s certainly not Cyborg’s fault that there’s no depth in her division, but it can’t be ignored either. And now, after one-way trafficking the [then] best women’s fighter in the sport over 25 minutes, there’s no more discussion for the top-two spots: It’s Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes, and no matter where you choose to put them, it’s not wrong. For me, Nunes having two wins over Shevchenko keeps her in the No. 1 spot. But, perhaps, we can get one more meeting down the line to answer the question for good.
Martin: Shevchenko is sitting solidly at No. 2 all-time, right behind Amanda Nunes, and it’s possible for her to jump into that top spot before it’s all over.
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Watching her completely rag-doll and bully Zhang Weili for five rounds was pretty remarkable because this seemed like a situation where a strawweight might actually have a real shot at dethroning the flyweight champion. That wasn’t even close to true come Saturday night as Zhang was outmatched in every single area of the fight — and while it may not have been the most exciting affair, nobody has just dominated her over five rounds the way that Shevchenko did.
It also can’t be forgotten that Shevchenko has a really impressive record at bantamweight with wins over a couple of former champions in Holly Holm and Julianna Pena. She also pushed Nunes to the brink in both of their fights, but ultimately she lost each time, and that’s probably what’s keeping “The Lioness” ahead of her for now.
Nunes is supposedly coming back and gunning for a fight with current champ Kayla Harrison, so a win there might keep GOAT status out of Shevchenko’s reach. But a loss, combined with a couple more impressive Shevchenko wins, and she might just snatch that top spot before it’s all said and done.
4. Who stole the show at UFC 322?
Lee: Ethyn Ewing isn’t even supposed to be here.
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Last weekend, Ewing was celebrating what he probably thought would be his highlight of 2025, capturing an interim bantamweight title at (deep breath) Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat 32 in Wheatland, Calif. No one would have blamed Ewing if he kicked back, shut it down, and looked ahead to 2026 to continue pursuing his UFC dreams.
Nope. Two days out from UFC 322, Ewing gets the call to replace an injured Cody Haddon and fight the undefeated Malcolm Wellmaker, one of the most hyped prospects at 135 pounds. The bout was bumped up to featherweight, Ewing hit the mark, and following a whirlwind 48 hours, he ended up fighting AND WINNING at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
Other than using his post-fight time to beg for a bonus (and obviously not get it. Stop doing this, guys!), it was a flawless debut, and no matter where Ewing’s career goes from here, MMA has itself another folk hero.
Heck: Normally, I try to go off the radar with these questions, but it’s just too clear: It’s Michael Morales and, in my opinion, it’s not even close. What he did to Sean Brady was not only so damn impressive, but — even though I saw Morales as a guy who would certainly fight for a title at some point in his career — he may have done the thing so well that meritocracy could actually win in the end.
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Everyone who has listened to me speak over the past several months heard me confidently say that if Islam Makhachev beat Jack Della Maddalena, we would have to deal with the egregiousness of Kamaru Usman jumping the queue to get a title shot. I’m still not ruling that out, but after watching what Morales accomplished on Saturday, there may not be a fight that can be made in MMA that is more intriguing than Makhachev vs. Morales. And you know what? My eyes are open so wide that I think Morales actually has a really good chance of winning that fight.
If you saw Usman’s face after Makhachev’s post-fight interview, I think he may see the writing on the wall, especially considering Makhachev no-sold him when it mattered most. Give me Islam vs. Morales, Usman vs. Shavkat, and Prates vs. JDM.
Martin: I don’t care if it’s the easy answer, but it’s Islam Makhachev for all the reasons stated previously when it comes to climbing up the ladder in the GOAT debate. He’s fought and won titles in the two toughest divisions in the sport, and that accomplishment can’t be ignored.
Did he face another all-time great champion to win the belt? No, but Israel Adesanya was supposedly destined to become a two-division champion until Jan Blachowicz said, ‘Not gonna happen.’ Considering the way Jack Della Maddalena looked against Belal Muhammad, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he shut down Makhachev and defended his title.
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That obviously didn’t happen because Makhachev grounded him round after round in a truly demoralizing performance. Makhachev may not have set the world on fire with some kind of non-stop action fight, but he slammed the door on the current pound-for-pound debate — at least in my mind — and he deserves his flowers for a job well done.
Meshew: While I think Michael Morales is the person who gained the most this week (aside from the two champions), I think Benoit Saint Denis was the actual biggest winner on Saturday.
Think about it, a year ago, BSD’s career was in free fall. After getting shot straight to the top, he suffered back-to-back losses, and the second was bad. There were legitimate questions about whether he was going to be a flash in the pan. And though he beat Kyle Prepolec, that was not the most inspiring performance to kick off 2025. But then, BSD thumped Mauricio Ruffy in September, and on Saturday, he obliterated Beneil Dariush in 16 seconds. BSD is now all the way back, and given the big names and the changing landscape at lightweight, Saint Denis is suddenly right in the thick of things as a legitimate lightweight contender.
5. Who was the biggest loser at UFC 322?
Lee: As always, I’m the last one to the party when it comes to these things, but yes, I can finally admit it: Leon Edwards is cooked.
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I’ve viewed Edwards’ slump with the rosiest of rose-colored glasses. The no-show against Belal Muhammad? Off-night and Belal is really good! Getting submitted for the first time ever by Sean Brady? Hey, credit to Brady. But now? Losing by knockout for the first time in a do-or-die matchup? One has to praise the awesome Carlos Prates, but one must also honestly appraise where Edwards is at in his career.
Much has been made of whether Edwards’ heart is still in the game, with Carlos Prates brazenly calling into question his resolve ahead of Saturday and then knocking him the F out. More fuel for the fire. This isn’t the end for Edwards as a fighter, but the contender line has passed him by, and it’s never letting him back in.
Heck: While Morales was the show-stealer, it came at the expense of Sean Brady being the answer to this always-tough question.
Let me first say that Brady deserves a ton of credit for taking this risk, because you just don’t see that kind of thing in the UFC very often these days. Brady could’ve just waited until 2026 to get a higher-ranked, less risky matchup, but he signed the dotted line, and I respect the hell out of it. Unfortunately, he result means Brady will be a top-10 fighter in this division for the rest of his career, which is nothing to shake a stick at, but his title hopes are pretty much DOA now.
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I said all week that Brady had the most to lose on this entire card because of the logjam in the division, and after the way it all went down at MSG, my read was pretty accurate. It’s going to take something truly extraordinary for Brady to get to a title shot now, and at 33 years of age (which he turns in less than a week from now), he may not even have the time to do it.
Martin: I hate to pile onto a guy who probably already feels miserable right now, but it’s Jack Della Maddalena.
Remember, he got a title shot because Shavkat Rakhmonov got injured and couldn’t fight on the UFC’s timetable, so Della Maddalena got pulled from a matchup against Leon Edwards, and he made the most of that opportunity with a thrilling performance to beat Belal Muhammad to become champion.
But Della Maddalena didn’t do himself any favors with his performance on Saturday night, getting shut out by Makhachev, and he didn’t exactly ooze charisma during fight week either. Sure, we’d love to believe it’s all about wins and losses, and if Della Maddalena can string together three or four truly impressive wins, he could get back to the top again, but it feels like his climb would take even more after the way he got beaten at UFC 322.
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He doesn’t have that kind of magnetic personality to draw you back in and forget about the past like some fighters are so adept at doing.
Plus, Della Maddalena bolted from the octagon and didn’t appear at the post-fight press conference, and to date, he still hasn’t publicly addressed the fight or his performance. Sometimes, how you deal with a loss is just as important as for the future as your next appearance in the octagon. Right now, Della Maddalena is 0-1 on the post-fight scorecard, and the road back to title contention isn’t getting any easier with the welterweight division teeming with new challengers all champing at their own shot at gold.
Meshew: Guys, Dillon Danis is no longer allowed to attend UFC events after getting wailed on in yet another ridiculous brawl. How will he ever get headlines if he can’t stir up trouble at UFC events in the future?
