UFC 322: Size and Strategy in Women’s MMA
Saturday night’s showdown proved that size can play a big role in the octagon.
In the co-main event of UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, Valentina Shevchenko successfully defended her flyweight title with a unanimous decision, effectively blocking Weili Zhang’s attempt to join the ranks of female fighters who have held two weight titles in the UFC.
Shevchenko, leveraging her size advantage, consistently overpowered the smaller Zhang, who had moved up 10 pounds this year and vacated her strawweight title to pursue this historic opportunity.
Throughout the match, the Kyrgyzstan champion dominated, taking control and delivering ground strikes whenever she desired. Zhang, although she had her moments, never truly threatened Shevchenko. For all 25 minutes, Shevchenko maintained her composure, which helped her secure her 11th win in a flyweight title fight, marking her impressive tenure since 2018.
In another fight at UFC 322, Bo Nickal had a complicated relationship with the fans at Madison Square Garden last year, and he didn’t seem overly concerned about it this time around. He snagged a 2-0 victory, but not without some controversy.
Nickal, the former Penn State wrestler and three-time NCAA champion, made a statement by knocking out Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rodolfo Vieira with a head kick in the third round, then dramatically hopped onto the octagon fence to gesture at the crowd. This was quite a shift from his previous performance, which had been a straightforward match against submission specialist Paul Craig that left many fans unimpressed.
After experiencing his first MMA loss to Reinier de Ridder in April, Nickal has expressed a desire to focus less on fan approval and more on his own path. However, he might find that fans would be more engaged if he continues to produce electrifying finishes like his recent knockout.
The main event, featuring a welterweight title bout between champion Jacques Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, was preceded by significant action among the 170-pound contenders.
In one of the initial highlights, Michael Morales achieved a first-round knockout against Sean Brady, improving his unbeaten professional record to 19-0. Just 26 years old, Morales is potentially on the brink of a title shot, having showcased impressive skill and determination in the octagon.
Interestingly, UFC 322 had a notably higher number of fighters hailing from Pennsylvania compared to New York and New Jersey combined, but two local fighters still made their mark. Erin Blanchfield from Elmwood Park submitted Tracy Cortez with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their rematch. Cortez had previously won their first encounter before Blanchfield joined the UFC at just 19 years old.
Additionally, Fatima Klein, a 25-year-old talent from Hyde Park, secured a strong decision win against veteran Angela Hill, adding to the local victory tally.
