UFC 322 Features Former Champs, Rising Pros in New York

UFC 322, scheduled for November 13-15 at Madison Square Garden in New York, will feature multiple high-stakes title fights that are reshaping the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Leon Edwards will face Carlos Prates in a welterweight bout aimed at clarifying the title picture after Edwards' recent losses, while Islam Makhachev moves up to 170 pounds to challenge the reigning welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, who has defended his belt impressively since winning it in May. Additionally, Valentina Shevchenko is set for a flyweight title defense against Weili Zhang, who relinquished her strawweight title. Rising prospects like Donte Johnson are also making headlines, with Johnson planning a dramatic weight class drop after earning a UFC contract by knocking out a much larger opponent. Recent UFC rankings reflect these developments, with Della Maddalena and other top fighters like Aljamain Sterling and Johnny Walker moving up the ladder, demonstrating ongoing shifts in divisional power. These matchups and rankings underscore a dynamic period in UFC competition with title changes and emerging stars poised to make significant impacts.