Michael Morales is the biggest threat to Islam Makhachev.
The welterweight division is currently the most stacked in the entire UFC, and UFC 322 proved just why.
Islam Makhachev moved up a weight division to take on the champion, Jack Della Maddalena, and came out victorious after five dominant rounds.
This posed the question: can anyone dethrone one of the best fighters in UFC history who has now proved his worth in two different weight divisions?
And for me, despite the plethora of talent in the division, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to win the belt, apart from Michael Morales.
Belal Muhammad and Ian Garry are set to face off in Qatar on Saturday, and the winner will likely get the next title shot. Both fighters are talented wrestlers but can be hurt on the feet.
Garry struggled to dominate Michael Venom Page, and I believe Makhachev can outwrestle him and secure a submission victory.
As for Muhammad, Della Maddalena put on a boxing masterclass to defeat him, and I think Makhachev would also hurt him on the feet. Muhammad would also struggle to defend takedown attempts and would most likely succumb to a decision loss.
Therefore, I believe Morales is Makhachev’s biggest threat due to his sheer size and speed in this division.
He has a strong wrestling background which he is yet to use due to his great striking ability, seeing him secure first-round KO victories over Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny.
His victory on Saturday against number two ranked Sean Brady, a very accomplished wrestler, was by far his most impressive, however.
If Morales is able to snuff Makhachev’s takedown attempts, I think he will find joy on the feet and potentially secure yet another KO win.
Bo Nickal looks back to his best.
Bo Nickal was lauded as the next big thing in the middleweight division before his knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder back in May.
For many this saw him lose a bit of hype, despite being a supremely talented wrestler, which led to victories over both Paul Craig and Cody Brundage.
His comeback fight at UFC 322 was against Rodolfo Vieira, who came into the fight of the back off two consecutive victories against Armen Petrosyan and Tresean Gore.
Nickal started the fight on the front foot and secured a huge takedown not long into the fight before raining punches onto Vieira.
He was finding success with huge jabs and busted Vieira’s nose open, also causing his left eye to begin to shut.
But it was the final round where Nickal got his reward, as a huge head kick knocked his opponent out to secure a statement victory.
Back in the win column, and we will surely see Nickal climb up the middleweight rankings again in the not-so-distance future.
Leon Edwards continues to struggle.
The former welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, was on a two-fight losing streak after losing his belt to Belal Muhammad and being submitted by Sean Brady.
And things didn’t get much easier for ‘Rocky’ as he was pitted against the dangerous Brazilian Carlos Prates, whose only loss in the UFC had come at the hands of Ian Garry.
Despite the danger that Prates possesses, many of Edwards’ fans felt that he could utilise his ground game and takedown defence in this fight.
And this is how things panned out in round one, with Edward’s counter striking perfectly and eventually taking his opponent to the canvas before almost securing a rear naked choke in the dying embers of round one.
Round two started in a similar fashion, with Edwards maintaining a distance and shooting with his jab, securing an impressive 83% successful strike rate.
However, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Prates to find the one moment he needed, landing a perfect straight right that slumped Edwards and secured the victory.
The dangerous Brazilian became the first fighter to knock out Edwards, a feat showing the power he possesses.
Three straight losses for the Brit now, whose dreams of regaining the welterweight belt faded further into the abyss…
Blanchfield finally gets her revenge.
The second fight on the preliminary card was the long-awaited rematch between Erin Blanchfield and Tracy Cortez in the women’s flyweight division.
The pair had previously fought at Invicta FC 34, where Cortez secured the victory via split decision.
That fight was now six years ago, however, and both women came into the rematch as much more accomplished fighters. Blanchfield’s only loss in the UFC came to Manon Fiorot, and Cortez’s only loss came to Rose Namajunas.
Cortez found some joy in the early exchanges, showing her boxing capabilities and catching Blanchfield with a couple of quick jabs.
This didn’t last long, though, as ‘Cold Blooded’ unleashed a sharp combination which opened up a cut above the left eye of Cortez.
From here on Blanchfield controlled the fight and secured a rear naked choke submission in the second round, handing Cortez her first loss via a finish.
An impressive performance at Madison Square Garden by Blanchfield, who looked fresh after over a year out of the octagon.
There could be a new star in the featherweight division.
Malcolm Wellmaker had looked unstoppable in his first two fights in the UFC, securing first-round KO victories over Cameron Saaiman and Kris Moutinho earlier on in the year.
And many were expecting a similar performance here, with his opponent, Ethyn Ewing, coming into the fight on 48 hours’ notice after securing a victory on the A1Combat promotion on November 7.
Wellmaker’s original opponent, Cody Haddon, was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering an injury in training.
Ewing looked at home almost immediately in the UFC octagon, weathering a few early strikes, including a big right that Wellmaker had knocked opponents out with before.
The debutant then used effective counter strikes, takedowns and ground strikes to take control of the first round.
A pair of big knees while in a clinch potentially swung the scorecard in Ewing’s favour.
The second round was carried out in the same high-octane fashion, with Ewing targeting a cut above his opponent’s eye and Wellmaker finding success with some vicious shots to the body.
With the fight firmly in the balance, Ewing came out determined in the final round, pushing forward and finding a home for his strikes.
A remarkable debut display saw the judges score the contest 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, all in Ewing’s favour.
Taking out a knockout machine in your first fight is one way to make a statement, and this won’t be the last we hear of Ethyn Ewing.
My name is Jack Latham.
I am 20 years old and am currently studying Sports Journalism at the University of Chester.
I became interested in combat sports, particularly MMA, in the lockdown period and have followed it closely ever since.
I have previously created my own website titled ‘Combat Corner,’ where I produce MMA content.