5 Fights we Need to See After UFC 322
Saturday's UFC 322 card in New York City was easily one of the best of the year, and it set the stage for some huge fights in 2026.
The biggest of those potential contests all involve Islam Makhachev, who claimed the UFC welterweight title with a decision win over Jack Della Maddalena in the main event.
As a former lightweight champ, Makhachev has now won titles in two divisions, and he stands out as one of the best fighters ever. However, his work is far from done. He has a host of exciting options at welterweight and back down at lightweight.
The list of viable fights for Valentina Shevchenko is a little shorter.
The two-time flyweight champion was back to defend her belt in the UFC 322 main event. This time, her opponent was former strawweight champ Zhang Weili.
In a shockingly dominant display, Shevchenko controlled every minute of the fight to successfully defend her title via unanimous decision.
There are a few contenders left in her division, but she is coming very close to clearing it out completely.
Outside of the two title fights atop the card, the biggest winners of the night were welterweight contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
Prates was up first, knocking out former champ Leon Edwards in Round 2. Morales was up next, shaking up the rankings by knocking out No. 1 contender Sean Brady inside a round. Both are now among the top contenders for a crack at new champ Makhachev.
You never know how the UFC matchmakers are going to move, but here are the fights we'd like to see next for the stars of Saturday's card in NYC.
Islam Makhachev vs. Kamaru Usman
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The top of the welterweight division is swarming with exciting contenders right now, with Michael Morales, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Carlos Prates all riding impressive win-streaks.
Ian Machado Garry could catch up with them if he beats Belal Muhammad next weekend, and former champ Kamaru Usman is also in the running after dominating Joaquin Buckley in his last fight.
It would not be surprising to see any of those contenders get the first crack at Makhachev, though, all signs point to the new champ defending his belt against Usman next.
Both men have said they want the fight in the aftermath of UFC 322, and they share a manager, so things are already falling into place.
Not everyone is going to love this idea. While Usman is clearly the second-best welterweight ever behind Georges St-Pierre, his recent win over Buckley was preceded by a middleweight loss to Khamzat Chimaev and a pair of losses to Leon Edwards back down at welterweight. He doesn't have nearly as much momentum as Morales or Rakhmonov right now.
However, his win over Buckley proved he is still one of the best welterweights in the game, and if he's anywhere near top form, he has a real shot of beating Makhachev.
It's a fascinating and marketable matchup, and it leaves the likes of Morales, Rakhmonov, Prates, and possibly Garry to fight it out for the No. 1 contender spot.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Natalia Silva
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Valentina Shevchenko has beaten just about everybody worth mentioning at flyweight, and despite a couple of hiccups and close calls in recent years, she appears to be as good as ever at 37 years old.
It's still hard to imagine anybody beating her, but there are a couple of contenders in position to try: specifically, Natalia Silva and Erin Blanchfield.
Blanchfield made a real statement at UFC 322, submitting Tracy Cortez to move onto a two-fight streak. However, Silva has won 13 fights straight, including an impressive decision win over former champion Alexa Grasso last time out. She is clearly the more deserving contender of the two, so she should be up next against Shevchenko.
She will enter the Octagon as a big underdog against the champion, but with tons of momentum behind her and a record that includes five knockouts and seven submissions, she has what it takes to pull off the unimaginable.
Zhang Weili vs. Mackenzie Dern
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After her one-sided loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322, Zhang Weili will almost certainly head back down to strawweight. Despite never losing her belt in the division, she will no longer be its champion when she returns.
When Zhang was booked to fight Shevchenko, she relinquished her title so that the division could keep moving in her stead, as it was unclear how long she'd be fighting at flyweight—particularly if she won the belt.
That cleared the way for Mackenzie Dern to claim the vacant title with a decision win over Virna Jandiroba last month.
It's going to be hard for Dern to be seen as the division's true champion unless she beats Zhang.
The Chinese fighter had dominated most of the division by the time she gave up her belt, and she would be widely favored to do the same to Dern then and now.
In fact, Zhang seems so likely to win this potential matchup that it's not actually that interesting. However, it's the bout that needs to happen to bring legitimacy back to the strawweight belt, which will be in question until the new champion takes her on.
Michael Morales vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
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Michael Morales could easily get the next crack at at Islam Makhachev, and as one of the biggest welterweights in the sport, he would have some very interesting physical advantages over the former lightweight in addition to some serious skill.
However, it seems Makhachev will fight Kamaru Usman next, which means Morales will likely need to fight somebody else in the meantime.
In that event, there is no better choice for his next opponent than Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Both Morales and Rakhmonov are 19-0, and riding wins over top contenders. Both bolster their incredible skill with awesome physical tools. Both are among the best finishers in the sport right now—Rakhmonov in particular.
It's an incredible matchup on paper—one of the best the UFC can make right now—and the winner would be undeniable for a title shot, regardless of who has the belt.
Carlos Prates vs. Belal Muhammad
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After stunning knockout wins over Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards, Carlos Prates is getting very close to a title shot.
However, having lost to Ian Garry recently, he's a few steps behind the likes Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales in the race.
For his next fight, he should be matched up with former champ Belal Muhammad.
Muhammad is set to take on Garry in the co-main event of next Saturday's UFC card in Qatar. The former champ is a close friend of Makhachev, which means that, even if he beats Garry to put himself back in title contention, he is unlikely to fight the champ.
In that case, a fight with a surging contender like Prates would be a good way to keep him busy. If he loses, meanwhile, he'll still have enough clout in the division to make a suitable dance partner for Prates.
And in either case, his blend of relentless pressure and takedowns will make a solid test for the rising Brazilian contender. In fact, beating a fighter like Muhammad would be a great way for Prates to prove he's capable of dealing with Makhachev's similar skill set.
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