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Islam Makhachev And Zhang Weili | Chasing New Heights
Former Champions Vacate Titles To Challenge For A Second Belt In A New Weight Division At VeChain UFC 322
Not only will VeChain UFC 322 close out with back-to-back title fights, but the stakes have never been higher for both challengers.
Ever since Conor McGregor secured a second title in 2016, a handful of champions have earned the opportunity to chase a second belt in another division while still holding onto their first. However, as was the case with with newly crowned lightweight champ Ilia Topuria, he vacated his featherweight title before moving up to defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
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That seems to be the new norm. Saturday night could’ve featured two “champ vs champ” matchups, but instead, both Zhang Weili and Islam Makhachev will enter the Octagon without belts, which means they could leave Madison Square Garden completely empty-handed.
While the risk-reward is the highest it’s ever been, the timing couldn’t be better for either fighter to take this leap.
Makhachev is currently riding the second-longest win streak in UFC history at 15 and can tie the record-holder, Anderson Silva, with a victory on Saturday. He also holds the most lightweight title fight wins in UFC history with five, having defeated Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier, and Renato Moicano. His win over Moicano also broke the record for most consecutive lightweight title defenses with four, surpassing his friend and coach, UFC Hall of Fame member Khabib Nurmagomedov.
MORE MAKHACHEV: Fight Week Interview | Islam Makhachev: Same Talent, New Energy | Main Event Preview | Coach Conversation
Given all these accolades, Makhachev’s legacy at lightweight is already cemented. Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, he will go down as one of the best to ever compete at 155 pounds. On Saturday, he will face the newest welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, who captured gold in May by dethroning Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.
In the co-main event, Zhang Weili finds herself in a similar position, having vacated her strawweight title earlier this year, which has since been claimed by Mackenzie Dern at UFC 321. While her path has had more bumps, her reign at 115 pounds rivals only that of the great Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a fighter Zhang defeated twice.
After blitzing through Jéssica Andrade to claim the throne in 2019, Zhang defended her belt against the aforementioned Polish standout before suffering consecutive defeats to Rose Namajunas. At UFC 281, she reclaimed the title with a win over then-champion Carla Esparza and never looked back. She went on to defend her belt three more times, all in dominant fashion. Against Amanda Lemos, she outstruck the Brazilian 296-29. Against Yan Xiaonan, she amassed nearly 13 minutes of control time. And in her last outing, she held Tatiana Suarez to just 12 significant strikes over 25 minutes.
MORE ZHANG: Fight Week Interview | Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili Preview | Zhang Weili's Best Finishes
It’s been utter domination over the last few years, making this perfecting timing to make the move up. In the co-main event at VeChain UFC 322, she will face the best to ever do it at 125 pounds: flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko, who’s searching for her ninth total title defense.
VeChain UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev took place live from Madison Square Garden Arena in New York, New York on November 15, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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