UFC 322 LIVE: Can Islam Makhachev become double champ? Russian faces welterweight king Jack Della Maddalena on huge night in New York

Makhachev has won 15 fights in a row and proven himself repeatedly as one of the most dominant fighters in the world. He’s continued Khabib’s legacy and that of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov but tonight will go a long way towards how he will be remembered.

He’s going up in weight now and giving up some size, but Makhachev is still a strong, physical man and it’s not like Della Maddalena is a manhandling-type wrestler either.

What a worthy card-topper this fight is. Jack Della Maddalena is Australia’s latest superstar but just how good is the slick striker? Is he a pound-for-pound king or will Makhachev prove levels above? The questions will soon be answered in Madison Square Garden.

Shevchenko says: ‘MMA is my life, I have to heal a couple of injuries but I am still here, I am still in. I want to say thank you very much to my team and I want to dedicate my belt to coach, he is behind all my success and more than 30 years I train under him.’

No sign of retirement for Shevchenko just yet.

Zhang Weili reflects: ‘First I want to congratulate Valentina, sorry to all the fans who supported me, especially those who came from China, I will not stop trying, I’ll continue to march forward. Nobody needs to worry about me.

You admire the ambition but Zhang, after spending another round defending on her back, may now realise why weight classes exist for a reason. She is a dominant 150lbs fighter but could not handle the step up not only in size but also class. The best flyweight of them all proved herself again and neutralised the Chinese fighter in every area over 25 minutes.

Shevchenko is pitching a shutout as the Americans like to say. The Kyrgyzstan fighter is perfectly well-rounded and even at 37 looks like she’s better than ever. She is throwing spinning kicks now and you almost start to feel sorry for Zhang.

Zhang lands a nice elbow and spends most of the third on her feet as her corner demanded. But Shevchenko is just so powerful and is winning every exchange at close quarters. The smaller fighter is struggling to assert herself and needs to find an unlikely finish out of somewhere.

Keep this on the feet, that’s the instruction from Zhang Weili’s corner. Shevchenko has completely dominated the first 10 minutes of this fight and is outsmarting and outperforming her opponent so far. Again she managed to take the Chinese star down and keep her there for the majority of the second.

Outstanding start for the champion, who lands one knee up the middle that might even count as a knock down. She also stuns Weili with a spinning backfist and ends the round in side control. It has been a dominant showing so far and Shevchenko looks far bigger in there.

Two of the greatest female fighters of all time are gracing the octagon next in the co-main event.

Zhang has freakish strength and was even able to pick up Shaquille O’Neal. She is the pound-for-pound No 2 up against the woman in top spot. Shevchenko has done it all in the sport and faces a threat who gave up her strawweight title to move up and challenge at flyweight.

Dana White described this one as ‘the definition of a super fight’, were minutes away from these greats locking horns.

Morales says: ‘Hey Dana, I need a belt! New York I love you! This is for everyone from Ecuador and Latin America, I’m here because of my mum, I see you, I love you. We knew he was stocky and strong so I stayed low but I could smell a knockout and that’s what happened.’

This guy is a freak. The 25-year-old Ecuadorian pieces up Brady, there’s nothing more you can say. He’s enormous in there and the jab is a massive weapon. It wasn’t even one punch that finished the American, it was a lovely combination that got through and it’s a massive statement win. 170lbs is a great division right now.

A welterweight contender fight stacked on top of the last one – essentially saying to these guys, “go on then, show me why you deserve it”. Prates’ offering will take some beating. Brady is a dominant wrestler and Morales has that star quality that many believe will lead him right to the very top. Can either of these two lay down a marker to either Della Maddalena or Makhachev?

The Brazilian says: ‘You guys pay for the tickets to see violence and want blood, that’s why I was speaking to him when he was grappling me. I will enjoy my holidays and maybe in an hour I can come back and do a face-off with the champ!’

Brutal. Prates takes Edwards off his feet with a lunging lead left hand. ‘Rocky’ hits the mat unconscious and then eats another horrible punch on the ground. Prates is so, so dangerous and Edwards became complacent and paid for it. That’s the first KO defeat of his career and now the former champ seems to be at a bit of a career crossroads.

This is a bit of a turn up for the books, Edwards decides to go for a couple of takedowns and secures the second one very neatly indeed. He controls Prates on the ground and sweeps into position on his back before threatening a late submission, definitely one round in the books for the Brit.

Here’s that Bo Nickal head kick KO from earlier – very similar to Leon Edwards’ famous finish of Kamaru Usman to win the belt… speaking of ‘Rocky’, he’s up next in a massive fight at welterweight against Carlos Prates to get back in the title picture.

The sixth fastest knockout in UFC lightweight history and that was a ridiculous start to the main card. Dariush landed a nice knee to the body but BSD replied with a left hand over the top that connected just behind the ear and sent his opponent face first to the mat. He landed another before Herb Dean could stop it. Nasty stuff.

A lovely little lightweight clash now between Dariush, who is always game, and Saint-Denis, another who has put on some absolute wars. There’s no doubting why the UFC have used this one as the curtain-raiser so let’s hope it delivers.

Carnage – and would you believe it – Dillon Danis was in the thick of it.

An interesting stat thrown up on the broadcast is that those male fighters who have gone for double champion status have a significant losing record overall. Can Makhachev prove himself one of the exceptions?

JAMES COHEN IN NEW YORK: My word. What a finish from Bo Nickal and what a way to bounce back from defeat last time out. That was reminiscent of Leon Edwards’ infamous KO against Kamaru Usman back in 2022. MSG is buzzing now – bring on the main card!

The rippling muscles of the Brazilian aren’t just for show it seems – a one-sided win for one of the best nicknamed fighters in the UFC on these pre-lims.

Final pre-lim fight up next and it’s a big one for Bo Nickal. After suffering the first loss of his career last time out, the 29-year-old steps in tonight with something to prove. There’s a real buzz as he makes his walk, with fans curious to see how he responds under the spotlight. The main card energy is already creeping in.

A style mismatch, Makhachev moving up in weight, Della Maddalena’s first defence – there are so many factors to consider tonight when making your prediction for the main event. Here’s how the bookies see it…

Erin Blanchfield just swept aside Tracy Cortez and it’s a win that in all likelihood sets her up for a title shot in the near future. She got the fight to the ground, which is very much her wheelhouse, and locked in the submission. An absolute terror on the ground and she proved it again.

Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borchev by decision

Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico by KO

Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill by decision

Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal by decision

Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert by submission

Our man is in the arena tonight and soaking up the early atmosphere –

‘With the prelims underway, the arena is starting to roar to life. Fans are dialled in early, reacting to every exchange, and that familiar fight-night buzz is spreading fast. If it’s this loud now, the main card could blow the roof off.’

Malcolm Wellmaker vs Ethyn Ewing

Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira

Roman Kopylov vs Gregory Rodrigues

Erin Blanchfield vs Tracy Cortez

Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev

Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili

Sean Brady vs Michael Morales

Leon Edwards vs Carlos Prates

Beneil Dariush vs Benoit St Denis

That boxing earlier was just the warm up act wasn’t it? This is the hardcore stuff so don’t think about heading to bed just yet. UFC 322 is the most stacked MMA card of the year, topped with a brilliant showdown between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, plenty of build-up to that to come.

We’ll be there every step of the way so follow along for live updates of every fight at Madison Square Garden in New York.