In the main event, Islam Makhachev successfully topped welterweight champ, Jack Della Maddalena, to capture a belt in his second weight class. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko bested Zhang Weili, denying one of China’s brightest from holding a title in another weight class. The feature prelim along with all the fights on the main card, save for the co-main and main events, ended with exciting finishes. A rare case of five ranked losers looking for matchups off of the 19th UFC card held in New York.

Jack Della Maddalena

Islam Makhachev smothered and shut out Jack Della Maddalena over the course of five rounds to win a unanimous decision and capture the welterweight title. The loss was Jack’s first in nearly 10 years, dating back to just his second professional MMA fight.

JDM will head back to the drawing board, with no chance for an automatic rematch. Jack should look to welcome back Shavkat Rakhmonov to the octagon for his next fight. Rakhmonov is currently ranked at #3 in the division, though he has not competed since December of 2024 with his unanimous decision over Ian Garry. Shavkat who is 19-0 as a pro and 7-0 under the UFC banner, competed injured during that bout. He took the year off rehabbing and should be fully recovered and back in the octagon in 2026. Who better to take on than the former champ? Puts JDM right back in the fire with another huge opportunity. Shavkat gets an immediate chance to show that he’s ready to fight for the title. Everyone wins.

A good backup fight would be giving JDM Ian Garry, who is scheduled to fight former welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, in the co-main event on November 22 in Qatar. If Garry beats Belal, like JDM did, the UFC brass should match him against Jack. Fans would love that striking matchup. Ian is currently ranked at #6 within the division. Both of these matchups have Fight Night main event written all over them with the winner likely landing a title shot.

Maddalena’s next fight: Shavkat Rakhmonov or Ian Garry (If he beats Belal next week)

Zhang Weili

Valentina Shevchenko put on a masterclass in MMA as she cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Zhang Weili at UFC 322 to retain her flyweight title. The loss snapped a five-fight win streak for the former Women’s Strawweight Champion. And she was thwarted in her attempt at double champ status.

Zhang wasn’t definitive with her answer when questioned if she would be staying up at 125lbs. Considering that Zhang is 36 and has all but cleaned out the strawweight division, for the sake of this article, we’ll assume she’s here to stay.

Best matchup for Weili at this point would be giving her another fight against Rose Namajunas. Weili is 10-3 in the UFC. She’s lost to Valentina, obviously, and to Rose- twice. Namajunas stopped Zhang in the first round of their first bout in 2021, before defeating her in a split decision just a few months later, as well. Rose would lose the belt in mid 2022 before moving up to 125lbs herself. Since moving up Rose is 3-2 with losses to Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield. Rose is currently ranked at #6 in the division and was last in action against Miranda Maverick in June when she captured a unanimous decision win. This bout could easily be a main event or co-main event for a Fight Night card.

Zhang’s next fight: Rose Namajunas III

Sean Brady

Michael Morales quickly melted Sean Brady in the first round of their bout on the main card of UFC 322 on Saturday. It was a devastating loss for Brady who had been building momentum since 2022 when he was stopped by Belal Muhammad. Since that fight, Brady had won three in a row stopping Kelvin Gastelum and Leon Edwards. Brady entered the fight ranked at #2 in the welterweight division while Morales was ranked at #8.

A great next fight for Sean Brady would be to take on Joaquin Buckley. Buckley is ranked at #7 at welterweight. Joaquin was riding a six-fight win steak before he lost a unanimous decision to former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, back in June over the course of five rounds. Buckley stopped Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington in the two fights prior to his bout with Usman. He’s on that level (Top 10), and giving him a game competitor like Brady is the perfect opportunity for both men who have impressive resumes but suffered blemishes to their records recently.

Brady’s next fight: Joaquin Buckley 

Leon Edwards

Carlos Prates added to his highlight reel as he dropped and finished the former welterweight champ, Leon Edwards, on Saturday. Edwards has yet to reestablish his footing within the division since losing his title to Belal Muhammad in July of 2024. With the loss last night, Leon has dropped three bouts in a row and has been finished in his last two appearances. Edwards entered this fight ranked at #4 while Carlos was ranked at #9.

For his next fight, Leon needs something manageable. Not exactly a gimmie fight, but not a young hungry undefeated killer either. Gilbert Burns could offer the perfect opponent for ‘Mr. Headshot’. Burns, now 39 years old, has dropped his last four fights and been finished in two. His most recent fight was back in May when he was picked apart and stopped by Michael Morales. This matchup would work perfectly and would be a bout that many fans would look forward too as it is a striker vs. grappler matchup between two tenured skillful vets. This fight could be placed anywhere, main card of a PPV or potentially a main or co main event for a fight night card. A confidence builder for both.

Edwards’s next fight:  Gilbert Burns 

Beneil Dariush

The main card of UFC 322 on Saturday started with bang, as Benoit Saint Denis face-planted Beneil Dariush in just 16 seconds. Dariush has now dropped three of his last four fights. Beneil has been finished in the first round of all three of those losses. Beneil entered the fight ranked at #9 in the division while Benoit was ranked at #13. Dariush also has the misfortune of missing weight coming in at 157.2lbs. for the bout.

Beneil’s next fight should be a rematch against Mateusz Gamrot. Even with Gamrot ranked at #8 in the division, the matchup still makes a lot of sense. The pair fought in late 2022 and Dariush won a unanimous decision. Since that bout, Gamrot is 4-2 and Dariush is 1-3. If you look a little closer however, Gamrot is 1-2 in his last three fights. This is including a submission defeat to Charles Oliveira in his most recent fight last month. Bout was solid the first time and running it back now could be an even more interesting affair for fans. Grappler vs. grappler matchup that could land on nearly any card in 2026.

Dariush’s next fight: Mateusz Gamrot II

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The main card showdown found Edwards coming off a loss to Sean Brady at home in England; Prates had gotten over a loss to Ian Machado Garry earlier in the year by knocking out Geoff Neal in August.

Round one started with Prates pressing the action forcing Edwards to fight of the back foot. After the fight entered the clinch Edwards pressed Prates up against the fence gaining control time. Midway through the round Edwards was able to secure the back of Prates, who attempted to stand and shake the former champion off. Edwards was able to remain in control and threaten a rear naked choke submission as the first round ended. 

In the second, both fighters elected to stand at distance and trade strikes. Edwards ate a good leg kick from Prates followed by a jab. Prates came forward with a knee to the body and Edwards countered with a left hook. Moments later, Carlos threw a lightning fast straight left hand that landed clean on the chin of Leon Edwards. Prates followed up with a few punches but Edwards was out before he hit the floor. The streaking contender from the Fighting Nerds became the first fighter to defeat the former welterweight champion by knockout, and may have earned himself a title opportunity. 

A fan favorite and electrifying finisher, Carlos Prates has soared up the 170 pound rankings and earned the biggest win of his career at UFC 322.

Official Result: Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards by KO, Round 2, 1:28

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“I think he’s the first striker for like four years I think. When you’re fighting a striker you can flow a bit more. It’s a more entertaining fight,” Edwards told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“I feel like he’s a good opponent to getting back to where I left off.”

Edwards (22-5) may no longer hold the title, which means fewer obligations than a headlining champion defending his belt on a massive card like UFC 322. Still, he admits he’d gladly trade the lighter workload to be back in that position.

“If I had a choice I’d be at the top of the bill also. It is what it is,” Edwards said.

Edwards has heard the talk surrounding Brazil’s rising star, but he’s not buying into the hype. The former champion believes UFC 322 will serve as a reality check for Prates.

“Skills for skills I’m the better fighter, better athlete. I’m going and remind him of who I am. Who has he fought? The first time he moved up it was Ian (Garry) and Ian beat him. His last fight I don’t know what Geoff Neal was doing,” he said.

“Walking high guard, walking flat-footed, walking just like that. I think he’s in for a rude awakening.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Leon Edwards above. He faces Carlos Prates at UFC 322 on Saturday night.

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The co-main event will see Valentina Shevchenko defend her flyweight title against Weili Zhang in New York.

UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement on social media on Thursday.

Makhachev (27-1) dropped his lightweight title when he announced he’d be moving up to welterweight. He steps right into a world title fight against Maddalena for his first UFC bout at 170 pounds.

Maddalena (18-2) is coming off taking the title off Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. He takes on Makhachev who dominated the lightweight division defending his belt 4 times before moving up to welterweight.

The co-main event sets up the current flyweight champion against the former strawweight champ in a fight fans have been wanting to see for some time now.

Shevchenko (25-4-1), the two-time UFC flyweight champion, defends her title for the second time in her second stint at queen of the 125ers. She defended her title 7 times in her first run at champ before dropping the title against Alexa Grasso at UFC 285.

She regained the throne at UFC 306 by defeating Grasso in the rematch. Manon Fiorot challenged her for the belt at UFC 315, but fell short.

Weili (26-3) has vacated her title to challenge Shevchenko at flyweight. She’s coming off her third title defense in her second run as strawweight champion making it 4 title defenses in total.

With both Makhachev and Weili vacating their titles before moving up it looks as though the UFC wants to move away from double champs and get back to fully active divisions.

Also added to UFC 322 is a welterweight bout between Carlos Prates and former welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Prates, who’s coming off a win at UFC 319 in Chicago, had been hoping for that bout in Brazil but gets to go to NYC instead.

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This edition of losers matchmaker features a couple of former champions, a fighter that’s winless with the promotion and a couple of exciting strikers.

Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards was submitted by Sean Brady via guillotine choke in the fourth round of the UFC London main event on Saturday. Edwards was originally supposed to take on Jack Della Maddalena but JDM rebooked and is now fighting Belal Muhammad for the belt at UFC 315. That fact, makes this fight outcome sting just that much more for Leon.

Edwards entered the fight ranked at #1 in the welterweight division, while his opponent, Sean Brady, was ranked at #5. Leon is just two losses removed from a 13-fight unbeaten streak that saw him capture the welterweight belt. You can’t disrespect Leon’s body of work with his next matchup but one more loss could slide him out of the elites of the welterweight division.

Leon should fight Ian Garry next. Ian last fought in December of last year when he lost his first pro MMA bout opposite of Shavkat Rakhmonov. Garry is ranked at #7 in the welterweight division and has some dynamic striking as well as good fight IQ. This has all the potential makings of an excellent technical stand-up battle between two of the best muay thai strikers in the division. Winner would go back to being one impressive win away from challenging from the belt. Loser would likely have to fight someone rising thru the ranks with a trajectory inside the top 7 of the division.

Edwards’s next fight: Ian Garry 

Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz lost a competitive unanimous decision to the streaking Carlos Ulberg in Saturday’s UFC London co-headliner. Blachowicz suffered a shoulder injury ahead of his scheduled fight with Aleksandar Rakic in January of 2024. So, this was the first time fans had seen Jan since his split decision loss to Alex Pereira in July of 2023.

Blachowicz is now 0-2-1 thru his last three bouts (including a split draw to Magomed Ankalaev in 2022). Despite the layoff, Jan entered the bout ranked at #3 in the light heavyweight division while Carlos was ranked at #6.

Jan’s next fight should be a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic. The two have a weird fight history. Jan and Aleksandar were first scheduled to fight in March of 2022, but the fight was cancelled due to a neck injury from Rakic. When the two finally fought a few months later, Rakic injured his knee in the third round of the bout triggering a TKO win for Jan. Blachowicz would go on to have his draw against Ankalaev and lost against Pereira- while Rakic recovered from his injury. The two fighters were booked for a rematch in January of last year, but Jan withdrew due to a shoulder injury. In the meantime, Rakic was finished by Jiri Prochazka and lost a decision to Magomed Ankalaev, most recently.

This would be a great time to revisit this fight considering how the last couple of years have played out for both fighters. Rakic is currently ranked at #5 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Winner would be right back in the conversation of one or two wins from a title shot. A definitive ending to that saga could be interesting if this matchup materializes. But the winner of #8 Nikita Krylov vs #11 Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 could also make sense depending on how that fight goes.

Blachowicz’s next fight: Aleksandar Rakic

Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson dropped a tough fight to Kevin Holland in his first UFC fight in two years. Nelson had a couple of moments in the bout but was largely pieced up on the feet. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Gunnar (that saw him earn victories over Takashi Sato and Bryan Barberena).

Despite the inactivity, Gunnar has fought some very stiff competition. He is a tough and more than competent fighter, even at the age of 36 years old. There are a lot of opponents that Gunnar could potentially take on next. Bottom line is Gunnar has competed just three times since 2019, it seems like he is content take on meaningful challenges against proven competition.

With that in mind, Gunnar should take on Rafael dos Anjos for his next fight. The former lightweight champ is a tall task and a big name but he’s now 40 years old. RDA has lost three of his last four fights and suffered a knee injury in his last bout against Geoff Neal last October. A fighter like Gunnar would be a good test for RDA when he returns. And Gunnar would likely appreciate some time on the shelf waiting for RDA to fully recover from his injury (if the past six years have been any indication). A solid name for Gunnar and a meaningful fight for the division between two older, tenured, vets.

Nelson’s next fight: Rafael dos Anjos

Molly McCann

Molly McCann was quickly overwhelmed and submitted in her fight against UFC newcomer, Alexia Thainara, at UFC London. The loss was Molly’s second straight and she has now lost four of her last five fights.

After the result an emotional Molly took to the center of the octagon to express that if she couldn’t beat a fighter making their debut on short notice- then it’s time to move on. McCann subsequently announced her retirement ending her tenure with the UFC with a 7-7 record, and four performance bonuses at 34 years old.

McCann’s next fight: Retirement

Jordan Vucenic

Jordan Vucenic was guillotined by Chris Duncan in the second round of their bout on Saturday. The 29-year-old English fighter is now 0-2 in his UFC tenure since being signed in August of last year.

Winless within the UFC’s lightweight division is a scary place to be. Jordan should fight Bolaji Oki in his next fight. Oki, who is also 29, is a 2023 Contender Series alum who is 1-1 with the UFC. Oki won his debut last February defeating Timmy Cuamba (a featherweight) by split decision. In Bolaji’s last fight, he was also submitted by a guillotine choke in the first round by Chris Duncan. This would be the perfect fight for both men. A fighter that is 0-2 vs a fighter that is 1-1 with a split decision against a guy from a lighter weight class. The loser of this bout will likely be packing their bags.

Vucenic’s next fight: Bolaji Oki 

Morgan Charriere

Morgan Charriere lost a unanimous decision to Nathaniel Wood in what was both a competitive and entertaining fight to open the UFC London main card. Charriere has lost two of his last three fights but is 2-2 with the UFC. This was Morgan’s first bout with the UFC where he was unsuccessful in securing a performance bonus.

Morgan’s next fight should be against an old foe in William Gomis. Gomis competed earlier this month when he was edged out in a split decision opposite of Hyder Amil. Morgan defeated William in 2016 via heel hook for the 100% Fight featherweight tournament championship. This fight was previewed in an earlier edition of losers as a possibility. Both guys produce some action-packed fights and revisiting an old matchup could easily result in fireworks for fans.

Morgan’s next fight: William Gomis 

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A key fight for the 170lb division that might just produce a title challenger (after JDM and Shavkat Rakhmonov, anyway), Edwards and Brady at the O2 Arena closed out a night that saw zero finishes on the feet, and just three submissions prior to the main event — with the remaining nine contests going the distance.

The card had also seen the retirement of Liverpool staple Molly McCann, following a submission loss at the hands of newcomer Alexia Thairara.

An American facing a Brit on English soil with the fans behind him, Brady looked to press the action early, pushing forward and initiating the exchanges. The pair traded in close, clinching up at times, where knees became a threat – though Edwards was able to maintain some wrist control and prevent Brady from doing any damage. That wrist control would be key more than once, with Edwards landing a knee in another clinch near the midway mark. Another clinch, and another knee, followed by the former champ. Brady, however, ended the round on top after the pair hit the mat in the final seconds.

Round two opened with Sean Brady blasting into a double-leg takedown, though Edwards would be able to stay upright in close against the cage. That didn’t last, with Brady then dragging Edwards down; Brady then transitioned to the top with a sweep, then to the back, methodically securing one hook, then another. Hooks soon became a body triangle, with a full three minutes still on the clock.

After a minute, Edwards briefly escaped the body triangle and got to a knee, eliciting a huge cheer from the London crowd. Their jubilation was short lived, however, as Brady reestablished top control, and wound up in half guard threatening with submissions until Edwards rolled and gave up his back. Then came the ground n’ pound as Leon Edwards writhed and squirmed and turned. He escaped the round, but it could not have gone better for Sean Brady, short of a finish or knockdown.

Things went from bad to worse for Leon Edwards in round three, as he was quickly reversed off his own takedown attempt, with Sean Brady in mount just 90 seconds in. Brady tied up an arm and unleashed numerous unanswered punches. Edwards survived, got to a knee, then tried to post up, only for Brady to be all over him. As the round progressed Brady would threatened with a rear-naked choke after taking the back, though again, Edwards somehow managed to survive to the horn.

Round four found Leon Edwards badly in need of a course correction. That correction looked out of reach almost immediately when Brady easily took the former welterweight champ down, planting him on his back, head pointed away from the fence. With Brady on top in half guard, he locked up a mounted guillotine, and before long, Edwards was forced to tap! Like that, #5 had defeated #1, and Sean Brady had what was unquestionably the biggest win of his career— in a fight he wasn’t even scheduled for originally.

Official Result: Sean Brady def. Leon Edwards by submission (guillotine choke), Round 4, 1:39

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Originally, Jack Della Maddalena had been announced as facing Edwards in hostile territory. But with Shavkat Rakhmonov out, JDM was granted a title shot against Belal Muhammad, with that fight headlining UFC 315 in May. That opened up the headlining slot at UFC London, and in slid Brady opposite #1-ranked “Rocky” Edwards.

The winner of Edwards vs. Brady would almost certainly be high up in the mix for a title shot, depending on the outcome of Muhammad vs. Maddalena, and the availability of Rakhmonov.

In Saturday’s co-main event, meanwhile, Carlos Ulberg looked for his eighth straight win in the UFC, this time against former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz. That marked another bout with clear title implications.

Weigh-ins for 2025’s UFC London card take place on Friday; results can be found below.

There were no misses at Friday’s UFC London official weigh-ins, with Christian Leroy Duncan the last to weigh in, with the barrier – but he did make weight.

UFC London: Edwards vs. Brady Weigh-In Results

Main card

Welterweight: Leon Edwards (171) vs. Sean Brady (170)
Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz (205) vs. Carlos Ulberg (205)
Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson (170) vs. Kevin Holland (171)
Women’s Strawweight: Molly McCann (116) vs. Alexia Thainara (116)
Lightweight: Jordan Vucenic (155) vs. Chris Duncan (155)
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood (145) vs. Morgan Charrière (146)

Preliminary card

Lightweight: Jai Herbert (156) vs. Chris Padilla (155)
Flyweight: Lone’er Kavanagh (126) vs. Felipe dos Santos (125)
Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura (250) vs. Mick Parkin (260)
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan (186) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (185)
Women’s Strawweight: Shauna Bannon (116) vs. Puja Tomar (116)
Bantamweight: Nathan Fletcher (135) vs. Caolán Loughran (136)
Lightweight: Guram Kutateladze (155) vs. Kauê Fernandes (155)

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As Brady explained during Thursday’s UFC London media day, it’s a sort of a low risk, high reward situation. “Of course there’s always risk. One guy’s gonna win, one guy’s gonna lose,” observed Brady (17-1), speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “But if you look at it that way, for me, it’s a lot less risk. I beat Leon, I become the number one contender. God forbid if I lost, I’m still right where I’m at. For me it’s just a huge opportunity to show who I am in this division and go out there and be ranked number one after beating Leon.”

Edwards, who was dethroned by Belal Muhammad last year, remains ranked #1 at 170lbs. Brady comes in at #5; Maddalena, Kamaru Usman, and Shavkat Rakhmonov sit between them. Were Rakhmonov healthy, he’d have been granted the title shot given to Maddalena. Either way, it’s pretty clear who the key players are in the UFC’s welterweight division. And that makes preparing for big fights a tad easier for Sean Brady.

“When you have only four or five guys ahead of you in the division, it’s a little bit easier to get ready for a guy. So you kind of are always just training, with knowing in mind that I could fight Leon, I could fight Jack, I could fight Kamaru or Shavkat. You just have those thoughts in the back of your mind.”

As for champ Belal Muhammad, who returns to action at UFC 315 in May, Brady came out on the wrong end of their original encounter. That makes a win over the #1-ranked Edwards a big motivating factor, the American acknowledged. Still, he’s confident he’ll face Muhammad again some day regardless.

“It’s definitely motivation, but I know eventually we’re going to fight again. Whether I fight Belal when he’s champion, or I fight Belal for a number one contender’s spot, eventually it’s going to happen,” said Brady. “I have nothing but respect for Belal, he gets a lot of hate for no reason, but it’s definitely one I want to get back as a competitor.”

The pair’s first meeting came in a non-title fight in October of 2022, with Muhammad scoring the win via TKO in the second round.

Watch the full UFC London media day appearance by Sean Brady above.

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He also can’t seem to get away from internet rumors. Late Wednesday evening, pictures of a potential staph infection on his right arm began circulating on social media. Edwards was asked about said Staph infection at media day on Thursday morning.

“Six weeks ago, took antibiotics for it, its gone. No effects, cardio, eyes or nothing, you know what I mean I was fine,” Edwards told reporters including Cageside Press.

“I don’t know if it was Staph, it was like a bite or something. But yeah, that’s six weeks ago, nothing affecting, nothing and I’m good.”

Edwards, unsure whether it was actually a staph infection, but confident that it did not affect him in his preparation for his fight this weekend against Brady.

He may be facing the #5 contender, but can’t seem to stop being asked about current champion Belal Muhammad.

In July Muhammad dethroned Edwards, and yesterday, he said Edwards was “Weak-minded” and that Brady would defeat him. Edwards smirked at the quote, but clearly wasn’t happy to be talking about his former opponent again.

“The way Belal talks it’s like he went out there, f*cking knocked me down, dropped me, all he did was wrestle, put me against the cage. He did no damage,” he said.

“He was the one who was leaking and was about to get stopped.”

A win over Brady could get Edwards a #1 contender fight for a possible rematch with Muhammad, which would be great for the welterweight, but he tires of talking about it. Brady, during his media day appearance, said it wasn’t a “good look” for Edwards to constantly speak on Muhammad.

“You keep asking him about me,” Edwards said pointing to the media.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Leon Edwards above. He takes on Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London on Saturday.

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