UFC322 in Maddison Square Garden, New York City, was the 12th visit for the UFC and the first since November 2024.
It’s the third premium event in a row following UFC320 and UFC321 to have a title fight in the main and co-main event.
In the 14 fights on the card, there were seven stoppages, including two submissions, and seven fights that went the distance.
TOP PERFORMER: CARLOS PRATES
Prates became the first fighter to stop Leon Edwards, and he did it in devastating fashion. Although Edwards was coming into it on a two-fight losing streak, we were all expecting a very close fight.
Prates had only lost to Ian Garry in his six-fight UFC career and was on the title hunt, after a fairly even first half, where Edwards ended it on Prates’ back. In the second, Prates looked determined.
As he walked forward more, he connected with a lethal straight left hand that lifted Edwards off his feet and sent him crashing to the canvas to end the fight. The win earned Prates a sixth performance of the night bonus from his six UFC wins.
TOP PERFORMER 2: MICHAEL MORALES
The unbeaten Ecuadorian puncher is making all the right noises, at all the right times and looking like a killer in a division full of killers.
Now on a seven-fight UFC winning streak, with his last three wins coming in the first round. This win against Sean Brady, was the most impressive, as Brady had momentum and was on an impressive three-fight winning streak.
Morales used his reach to good effect, using an accurate jab, powerful overhand rights and short left hooks to clip and wobble Brady. He then closed in with clubbing left and right shots, forcing the ref to stop the fight.
TOP PERFORMER 3: BO NICKAL
Nickal was desperate to make a statement after a crushing first loss of his MMA career in May, where he was outclassed by Reinier de Ridder and submitted in the second round.
His opponent, Vieira, had one defeat in his last four fights and had stoppages in two of his last three wins, so he was a dangerous prospect and not an easy fight after coming off a crushing first loss.
Nickel stayed calm throughout and was winning the fight without being impressive. But out of nowhere in the third round, he executed a picture-perfect headkick that connected flush to send Vieira crashing to the canvas and out for a highlight reel knockout.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Benoit Saint Denis took just sixteen seconds to dispatch Beneil Dariush, who had missed weight, causing the bout to be at a catchweight. Dariush started fast with two lethal leg kicks; the second dropped Saint Denis. But the Frenchman got up instantly and unleashed a lethal overhand right that made Dariush faceplate to end the fight in an instant.
Erin Blachfield set her sights firmly on a title fight as she became the first woman to stop Tracy Cortez, with a second-round submission. Cortez looked good in the first round, keeping the fight standing. It took Blanchfield a round to adjust, but in the second, she took Cortez down with ease, manoeuvred into a choke and squeezed until Cortez tapped.
Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight to outlast Jack Maddalena with a dominant five-round display of standing, take-down defence and wrestling, to become a two-weight world champion. He made it look easy as JDM had no answer for his considerable skills.
Valentina Shevchenko proved there are weight classes for a reason as she accepted the challenge of former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. However, she used that extra weight to take Weili down on numerous occasions, then lit her up on the feet, for a comfortable points decision to defend her title.
