The Bigger Picture | VeChain UFC 322

Makhachev was in control from the jump, attacking Della’s lead leg and timing takedowns so expertly that he had the champion on the canvas before he could even think to react most of the time. The Australian deserves top marks for his defensive awareness in those situations, but it was clear from the rip that he had no answers for Makhachev, who looked big, strong, and healthy in his first fight at welterweight. As he continues to settle into his new surroundings, the new champion is only going to get more dialed in and more comfortable with the weight cut, which will only make him more dangerous going forward.

UFC 322 REWIND: Main Card Results | Prelim Results | Official Scorecards | Bonus Winners

While “G.O.A.T.” discussions and making ranked lists aren’t my favorite, what I will say about Makhachev and his place in the pantheon is this:

He thrived in what has historically been one of the best weight classes in the sport, ascending to the throne and setting the record for the most consecutive successful title defenses before relinquishing the belt to move up a division and chase another title. He won said second belt by defeating a champion that was previously undefeated in the UFC and riding an 18-fight winning streak overall, and he did it by making that individual look like he didn’t belong in there with him.

The reigning, two-time flyweight champion pitched a shutout against two-time strawweight queen Zhang Weili in the VeChain UFC 322 co-main event, earning a clean sweep of the scorecards to collect her second successful title defense this year, her ninth such result across her two reigns, and her 11th UFC championship fight victory in total, which tied Amanda Nunes for the most ever.

Some will want to point to the obvious size difference between the two competitors, which surely played a factor, but also does a disservice to the technical mastery and deep arsenal of weapons “Bullet” has at her disposal and displayed on Saturday night. Yes, she was the bigger, stronger athlete, but she’s also a brilliant striker who picked her shots well and hurt the speedier Zhang to the body multiple times while also showing excellent skills on the canvas.

She formulates excellent game plans, sticks to them, and knows how to win, eschewing everything else in favor of pursuing the victory. Sometimes that leads to dominant grappling like we saw against Zhang, which may not be the most exciting, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

What makes the 37-year-old’s case for all-time status unassailable (at least in my eyes) is that she did extremely well at bantamweight before relocating to the flyweight division, beating ex-Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman, former UFC titleholder Holly Holm, and future champ Julianna Pena, with both of her losses to Amanda Nunes coming in competitive fights where she was out-sized, but not out-skilled.

Shevchenko is 26-4-1 for her career, and she avenged two of those setbacks in championship bouts, defeating Liz Carmouche in her second flyweight defense and Alexa Grasso to close out their trilogy last year. She has fresh challengers at the ready in Natalia Silva and Erin Blanchfield, plus the possibility is always there for a move back to bantamweight and another shot at gold there.

Kyle Daukaus earned two wins during his first tour of duty with the UFC. This past weekend, the Philadelphia product picked up his second win in the last four months with a 50-second submission victory over Gerald Meerschaert. He’s fighting with such confidence and maturity now that he’s established himself as a dark horse to track in the middleweight division in 2026. 

Fatima Kline picked up her third win of the year and likely a spot in the rankings with a unanimous decision win over Angela Hill. The 25-year-old “Archangel” turned in a complete effort and has all the makings of a future champion in the 115-pound weight class, as her striking continues to evolve and become more consistent, to go along with her outstanding grappling.

FANATICS PODCAST: About Last Fight Talks To New Welterweight Chamo Islam Makhachev

Baisangur Susurkaev scored a walk-off knockout win over Eric McConico early in the night in New York City, connecting with a right hand that made the MMA Lab product faceplant into the canvas. There are still moments where the 24-year-old is too carefree, too unfocused in the Octagon, and eventually someone could make him pay for that playfulness, but for now, he’s clearly one of the top prospects in the division, and it will be fascinating to see how quickly he’s able to climb the ranks in the 185-pound weight class.

One Last Thing

Massive shout-out to Ethyn Ewing, who stepped in for Cody Haddon opposite Malcolm Wellmaker on Thursday afternoon and then handed the highly regarded prospect the first loss of his career. At no point did Ewing look out of his depths or overwhelmed by the moment, not to mention that he never looked like he took the fight on two days’ notice.

There are a lot of folks out there right now offering the 27-year-old from California the Shaquille O’Neal apology right now — “I wasn’t really familiar with your game.” — and even more than are anxious to see what he can do for an encore after a stellar debut showing at Madison Square Garden.

See you again after UFC 323.

Miss you, TG.