Follow Daily Mail Sport’s live blog for the latest updates and result as Jack Della Maddalena faces Islam Makhachev for welterweight title on huge night of fights.
Edwards fans look away now
Prates here to entertain:
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!’
Prates wins by knockout!
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.
Edwards the grappler!
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.
Remind you of anyone?
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.
Lights out
Saint-Denis wins by KO in 16 seconds!
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.
First up – Beneil Dariush vs Benoit Saint-Denis
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.
Madness at Madison Square Garden
Carnage – and would you believe it – Dillon Danis was in the thick of it.
Male champs 10-17 for double status
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?
MAIN CARD TIME – (and it is stacked!)
Nickal delivers devastating KO!
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!
Robo Cop in the win column
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.
James Cohen at Madison Square Garden:
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.
Who is your money on?
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…
What a squeeze
Big win for Blanchfield
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.
Early pre-lim results:
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
James Cohen at Madison Square Garden:
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.’
A massive night for Makhachev’s legacy
FULL FIGHT CARD
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Ethyn Ewing
Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira
Roman Kopylov vs Gregory Rodrigues
Erin Blanchfield vs Tracy Cortez
Main card:
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
Hello fight fans!
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.
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