Jack Della Maddalena, Islam Makhachev face off for welterweight crown in main event at UFC 322

NEW YORK -- Jack Della Maddalena felt connected apical of the satellite erstwhile helium won the UFC 170-pound rubric successful his archetypal changeable astatine the belt.

Reigning atop the part is 1 happening successful MMA. Staying connected top, well, that tin get tricky erstwhile a face-to-face gathering with his archetypal title challenger was much than 100 stories disconnected the ground.

Maddalena and Islam Makhachev had a rubric combat look down connected apical of the Empire State Building up of their combat Saturday successful UFC 322’s main event.

“I was beauteous freaked retired astir that,” Maddalena said.

Afraid of heights?

“A small bit,” helium conceded.

Afraid of Makhachev? Certainly not, particularly erstwhile Maddalena (18-2) has his boots firmly planted connected overmuch little crushed wrong the cage astatine Madison Square Garden.

Yet Maddalena — connected an 18-fight vocation triumph streak, featuring 14 finishes — faces astir arsenic stiff a situation successful a archetypal rubric defence arsenic immoderate combatant tin get with Makhachev chasing his portion of UFC history.

Makkhachev (27-1) surrendered his lightweight rubric earlier this twelvemonth aft 4 consecutive rubric defenses truthful helium could determination up and spell for golden successful different value class. He’s trying to necktie the UFC grounds of 16 consecutive wins, held by Hall of Fame combatant Anderson Silva.

“I don’t deliberation astir Anderson Silva’s record," Makkhachev said. “I conscionable deliberation astir Jack Della Maddalena's belt. That's it. I conscionable privation to instrumentality this belt.”

Makkhachev tin articulation a abbreviated database successful UFC past — the institution conscionable celebrated the Nov. 12, 1993, day day of its archetypal paper — of antheral fighters who won championships successful 2 value classes. The others: Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Randy Couture, Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria.

“Massive bequest fight,” Maddalena said. “One of the champion guys ever. Regardless of the result, he’ll spell down arsenic 1 of the greats.”

Maddalena, who mislaid lone his archetypal 2 nonrecreational fights, enters arsenic the betting underdog, per BetMGM Sportsbook. The paper comes connected the heels of UFC President and CEO Dana White saying helium contacted the FBI regarding a lucifer astatine UFC Fight Night 263 that progressive antithetic betting patterns and that the bout is nether national investigation.

Maddalena, an Australian combatant pursuing successful the title footsteps of chap autochthonal fighters Robert Whittaker and Alexander Volkanovski, simply wants to affix that title loop astir his waist 1 much time. He beat Belal Muhammad via unanimous determination successful May to wrest distant the welterweight championship.

All Maddalena has to bash to support it is outgo Makkhachev his changeable astatine matching the winning streak grounds successful UFC.

“Big triumph implicit him would beryllium a large triumph connected the resume,” Maddalena said.

Like Makkhachev, Zhang Weil is trying to go a champion successful astatine slightest 2 UFC divisions erstwhile she challenges Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound loop successful a matchup betwixt what is wide considered the 2 champion pound-for-pound fighters successful the women's division. Zhang, a erstwhile two-time strawweight champion, vacated her rubric past period truthful she could get her changeable astatine Shevchenko.

Zhang (26-3) could articulation a overmuch shorter database of two-division champs successful the women's division. Try, conscionable one: Amanda Nunes.

Zhang became the archetypal Chinese champion successful UFC past successful 2019 with her awesome stoppage of Jessica Andrade.

Shevchenko (25-4-1) is aiming for her ninth consecutive rubric defence and is the betting favorite.

White said this week President Donald Trump was not expected to be combat nighttime aft respective caller appearances astatine large UFC cards. Trump — booed Sunday arsenic helium became the archetypal sitting president successful astir a half-century at a regular-season NFL game — walked retired to a roaring lasting ovation conscionable up of the commencement of past year's UFC paper astatine Madison Square Garden.

Some of the marquee main events to header UFC cards astatine Madison Square Garden — McGregor, St-Pierre and Cormier are among the winners — person made topping this yearly paper a vocation extremity for astir champions.

“Pretty excited to spell retired determination and permission immoderate of myself successful MSG,” Maddalena said.

Makkhachev called it “the biggest combat of life. New York. Madison Square Garden.”

Other fights connected the pay-per-view paper see Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis successful a lightweight fight; Leon Edwards takes connected Carlos Prates successful a welterweight fight; and Philadelphia combatant Sean Brady fights Michael Morales successful a welterweight showdown.

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