Legacies are on the line Saturday at UFC 322 as two fighters look to join the exclusive group of fighters who have held UFC championships in two different weight classes. In the main event, former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev moves up to welterweight to challenge champion Jack Della Maddalena. The co-main event features Zhang Weili jumping from strawweight to flyweight to face champ Valentina Shevchenko.
Both Makhachev and Weili vacated their titles for the chance to jump a division and challenge for a new title. Shevchenko, the longtime dominant force in the division, has turned away similar challenges from former strawweight champions.
Meanwhile, Della Maddalena is making the first defense of his title, which he won by dominating Belal Muhammad in May.
There are plenty of interesting fights to follow on Saturday night that could have huge implications on divisional outlooks. Specifically, Saturday night is a big one in the welterweight division. Sean Brady looks to hold his spot and potentially move toward his first title shot when he takes on the fast rising Michael Morales. Plus, former champion Leon Edwards looks to get back in the title picture when he takes on rising contender Carlos Prates. Whoever emerges victorious in these two bouts could have an argument for challenging the winner in the main event.
With such an intriguing card, we once again looked at the full main card to deliver our best bets for each of the five main card fights on the UFC 322 card.
After going 3-1 for our best bets for UFC 321, our 2025 record sits at 27-20. We’ll look keep our roll going on Saturday, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let’s take a look at this week’s picks with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Benoit Saint Denis moneyline (-192)
Saint Denis built a lot of excitement over a five-fight winning streak that saw him flash good striking and a solid ground game. With some buzz building that he could be a future title contender, Saint Denis was given a brutal reality check when he was stopped by Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in back-to-back fights. Since those losses, Saint Denis has picked up a pair of submission wins to begin to build momentum again. Dariush’s story is not dissimilar, emerging as a title contender while riding an eight-fight winning streak before first-round knockout losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Dariush got back in the win column in his most recent fight, taking a decision over Moicano. Dariush has faced a better level of opposition overall, but he’s the older man and Saint Denis has a decided edge in power. With wrestling games that likely cancel each other out, I lean toward taking Saint Denis’ striking to carry the day.
Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
Leon Edwards via decision (+275)
This is a very stereotypical crossroads matchup, with Edwards as the old veteran seemingly on the downside of his career. After winning the welterweight championship against Kamaru Usman, defending it in the rematch and taking care of Colby Covington, Edwards lost the title to Belal Muhammad before being submitted by Sean Brady in March. Prates is only two years younger than Edwards, but he’s the fighter on the upswing, looking to take out a former champion and emerge as a potential title challenger. Prates is a flashy striker who has scored a knockout in his 11 most recent victories. Edwards is a patient, technical striker who has an underrated wrestling game. Prates’ lone UFC loss came against Ian Machado Garry, who utilized a gameplan of mixing up striking and wrestling to tire Prates out while not allowing him to get his big strikes going. That’s a very easy gameplan for Edwards to follow with his skills. If Edwards wins, it seems most likely he does it on the scorecards, so that’s the play.
UFC 322: A look at champions who have earned second division title and those who came up short
Brent Brookhouse
Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
Sean Brady moneyline (-135)
The great matchmaking at UFC 322 continues with this pivotal welterweight clash. Brady is ranked No. 2 at welterweight in the UFC’s official rankings while Morales sits at No. 8. The fighters have a combined 36-1 record with 23 wins by stoppage. Brady is already in line for a title shot, though Makhachev’s decision to move to the division allowed him to jump the line — and Brady. To maintain his spot, Brady will have to overcome a similarly aggressive opponent who has yet to taste defeat. This fight may come down to wrestling. Brady averages more than 3.5 takedowns per 15 minutes while Morales defends takedowns at a success rate of 89%. Of course, Morales hasn’t faced a murderer’s row of great wrestlers and Brady presents a host of new tests for the Ecuadorian. Brady is more battle-tested against better opposition, and -135 feels like a good price on the higher-ranked, more proven fighter.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili
Fight to go the distance: Yes (-225)
The fight to go over 4.5 rounds is -270, so you’re getting a much better price to bet on that final 2:30 ticking away. These are two of the best fighters in the history of women’s MMA. Shevchenko hasn’t picked up a stoppage win since September 2021. Weili has more recent stoppages, but is also coming up a division to challenge for Shevchenko’s title. Two skilled fighters in a division with a low stoppage rate makes betting on the full five rounds a solid play. Shevchenko is also very good at slowing down explosive strikers, and if Weili can’t be explosive on the feet, the chances of a stoppage plummet. It would be a surprise if Shevchenko is drawn into extended firefights and will likely look to grind on Weili along the cage and work takedowns. All of that adds up to a fight that goes to the scorecards.
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev
Over 3.5 rounds (-135)
I want to pull the trigger on Della Maddalena at +230 because of a nagging feeling that he presents some of the problems that troubled Makhachev in the first fight with Alexander Volkanovski. Della Maddalena isn’t the wrestler Volkanovski is, but he is solid on the ground and has very good striking. Makhachev looks like he has bulked up appropriately ahead of vying for 170-pound gold, and his wrestling and top game is as good as almost anyone in the world. That’s all holding me back from making the upset our best bet pick. Instead, we’re taking the fight to go over 3.5 rounds, relying on Della Maddalena to be able to survive some uncomfortable positions while winning some exchanges on the feet. Makhachev may wear Della Maddalena down over time and find the stoppage, but I’m not seeing it happening early. And, if you’re feeling spicy, you can fire an extra bullet on the upset.
Who wins UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
