UFC 322 results, bonuses, highlights and reactions

Islam Makhachev did exactly what he said he would do. He moved up to welterweight and dominated the champion to add the 170-pound title to his mantle. On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in the main event of UFC 322, Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision.

Makhachev cemented his position as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with a wire-to-wire dominance of Maddalena (50-45 x 3) and became the 11th fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple divisions. This race was never closed.

Makhachev outscored JDM 123-31, hit on all four of his takedown attempts and enjoyed 19:10 control time during the match.

What’s next for Makhachev? It’s possible his next challenger will come from someone on the card or perhaps a fight with the winner of Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry next week. We’ll see. Here are some of the reactions from UFC fighters following Makhachev’s dominant win.

Reigning lightweight champion Ilia Topuria had a particularly fierce view of both the winner and the loser.

Equally dominant, in the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko dismantled former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Shevchenko also won every round on all three scores.

Shevchenko outshot Weili 130-80. The flyweight queen enjoyed a time of control at 13:24 and secured five takedowns. Weili looked very weak and overmatched in every aspect of the sport. While Shevchenko was the favourite, the ease with which she dispatched Weili was a bit of a surprise.

The only potential opponent left for Shevchenko is Natalya Silva. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the division. Silva is undefeated in the UFC (7-0) and has won a total of 13 fights in a row.

UFC 322 results, bonuses and highlights

Here’s a look at all the results from the card and highlights of the finishes as well as performance bonuses.

• Islam Makhachev or. Jack Della Maddalena (c) by unanimous decision (50-45 50-45, 50-45) – Makhachev wins UFC welterweight championship
• Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Zhang Weili by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – Shevchenko defends UFC women’s flyweight championship
• BONUS – Michael Morales def. Sean Brady by first round knockout (punches)

In addition to earning a bonus, Morales put himself on a short list of men who could dethrone Makhachev. After that KO win over Brady, his status level took a leap.

• BONUS – Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards by second round knockout (punch)

We’ve never seen Edwards stop like this before. Prates destroyed the former champion with a straight left that looked like a piston that put Rocky out. The finish gave the Brazilian a bonus. Prates is another eyeing the prize. Maybe Prates vs. Morales is a fight that makes sense next.

• BONUS – Benoit Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush by first round knockout (punch)

Darius was 1.2 kg overweight. He had to forfeit a percentage of his purse and was then knocked out cold by St. Denis. BSD didn’t just earn a finish bonus, he’s on a rocket upward trajectory after suffering back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. This decisive victory over Darius could put him in the top 10 at 155 pounds.

• BONUS – Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira by third round knockout (head)

Who said all Nickal does is fight? He leveled Vieira with a well-placed left head kick that was arguably the highlight of the night at UFC 322. It was good enough for a bonus.

A fight with Joe Pyfer would be great for the sport.

• Gregory Rodriguez or. Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez via second round submission (back naked choke)

Blanchfield solidified her No. 4 ranking in the flyweight division with a win over Cortez. There are levels.

• Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert via first round submission (d’arce choke)

• Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico by third round knockout (punches)

The Susurkaev hype train kicks off as the highly touted contender scores a nice third round KO against a game and skilled opponent in McConico. However, Susurkaev still has the look of a star.

• Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)