UFC 322: Expert picks and best bets for two highly anticipated title fights - ESPN

UFC 322 features all the necessary factors to contend for fight card of the year: dominant champions, current and rising stars, and high-octane matchups. The fight card will take place at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN+).

At the top of the card is a pair of matchups that ESPN ranked last month as the best remaining title fights on the UFC's 2025 calendar. In the co-main event, ESPN's Nos. 1- and 2-ranked women's pound-for-pound fighters clash, as former strawweight champ Zhang Weili moves up to women's flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko. After that, Jack Della Maddalena goes for his first welterweight title defense against former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event.

Della Maddalena is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN men's P4P rankings. Makhachev, ranked No. 2, vacated the lightweight title to square off with Della Maddalena.

ESPN MMA analysts and commentators provide their title fight predictions, and ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight on the value bets available on the card.

I've got to give Della Maddalena's coach, Craig Jones, his due here. The strategies and tactics Jones has developed will show up in this fight. Della Maddalena has better striking than most of the competitors Makhachev has faced, and he will have success on the feet. The longer this fight goes, the worse it will look for Makhachev. It might get ugly. — Din Thomas

The size difference for Della Maddalena, coupled with the training from his coaches and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, will be too much for Makhachev to overcome. Makhachev won't be able to hold him down for long. As the fight wears on, I