Madison Square Garden is one of the largest stages in combat sports. Show off here, and the world will take notice. Islam Makhachev, the UFC’s newest two-division champion, and Valentina Shevchenko, the undisputed flyweight queen, did just that — show off.
And they weren’t the only ones, either. Fan favorite Carlos Prats is back in the championship picture, as is Michael Morales, who was not intimidated by veteran Sean Brady, earning a first-round knockout and New York’s respect.
Makhachev is better at welterweight
Makhachev said he would be better at 170 pounds, but of course I wanted to see that before I believed it. What will the fighter say? It will be worst In the new weight class? Makhachev told me a few weeks ago that he felt like he was about 60-70% lighter due to the significant weight reduction. It seemed possible, but really? Would it really be 40% better against greater competition? I’d say the answer, after one fight, seems like “yes.”
Makhachev destroyed Jack Della Maddalena’s front leg with kicks inside two rounds. He dropped JDM very efficiently just as he did at lightweight. He looked strong, well-groomed, correct All week long. It wasn’t Della Maddalena’s most inspired performance – and I expect he’ll say that at some point – but that doesn’t diminish how good Makhachev looked. He’s going to be tough to beat at welterweight, which is what we kind of expected.
What we weren’t sure was whether he would actually be better than he was at lightweight, and now I feel comfortable saying he is. The No. 1 fighter in the world is in a better position. We were really seeing Makhachev in a small part of him. For that reason, I’m very happy he’s here at welterweight and he won’t be back anytime soon (maybe ever). This is the best weight category for Makhachev. – Brett Okamoto
Shevchenko kept her distance at the top
Go ahead and file this in the “they have weight classes for a reason” section. But that doesn’t tell the whole story of Shevchenko’s dominant women’s flyweight title defense against Zhang Weili. Size certainly made a big difference, but it wasn’t the only reason Zhang, who vacated his strawweight title to take on the challenge, was unsuccessful.
The most important difference maker really was Shevchenko’s intelligence. She fought a battle that gave Zhang no chance. She certainly bullied her opponent with many of her five takedowns, out-maneuvering Zhang for long periods (13 minutes and 24 seconds of control time). But when Shevchenko wasn’t on top of Zhang, she stayed at a strategic distance where the smaller fighter couldn’t touch her. Zhang reached double figures in significant strikeouts in just one round.
While Zhang did no harm, Shevchenko was doing a lot. She battered her opponent’s body with kicks and knees, weakening Zhang’s resolve to close the distance. In doing so, Shevchenko also shattered any expectations fans had that this encounter between the No. 1 and No. 2 women would be a classic.
Going into the fight, there was a good case to clear this as the highest level of rivalry between UFC women since then-bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes challenged Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title. In that super fight in 2018, Cyborg made the mistake of confronting the faster Nunes, and paid the price, exiting in 51 seconds. Shevchenko made no mistakes in her approach to this fight, executing her game plan to perfection.
A wise next move for Zhang would be to get back up to weight and reclaim her 115-pound gold. Shevchenko is 37 and won’t be fighting for a long time, but Zhang is 36 and in no position to wait for her flyweight win. After the fight, Zhang did not commit to staying at flyweight or returning to strawweight. But she showed a determination that made her one of the greats, saying: “Zhang Weili is the one who falls and then gets up again.”
We hope to see her do so at a weight where she is at her best. Chang didn’t get the job done on Saturday, but he remains elite pound for pound…and the best strawweight on the planet. –Jeff Wagenheim
Morales is the biggest threat in the welterweight division
When Morales earned a UFC contract on the “Dana White Contender Series” in 2021, he did so without the hype other alumni received. Over the next four years, Morales defeated everyone he put before him. However, the hype surrounding the Mexico-based Ecuadorian fighter seemed muted. But after what Morales did to Shawn Brady at UFC 322, he can’t be ignored anymore.
For the third fight in a row, Morales refused to allow his opponent to reach the second round. Morales beat both Neil Magny and Gilbert Burns in the first round with relative ease. But Brady was supposed to be the true test of whether Morales was a contender or a pretender.
It passed this test with flying colors.
Morales didn’t let Brady do anything of note, needing just over three minutes to beat him by TKO. Doing it on such a big stage in Madison Square Garden made it impossible to overlook, especially when the welterweight title was on the line after two fights. Standing at 6 feet tall with a 79 inch reach is intimidating for the department. Knowing what to do with these physical traits is a whole other story. Morales, 26, is a buzz saw, and is equally destructive on the ground and in a standing position. Against Brady, he refused to let the wrestler in and picked him off easily with his hand and strength. He’s young, smart, and an absolute nightmare for the rest of the department. He wants a title shot, and it’s hard to say he doesn’t deserve it. If you look at the crowded welterweight picture, it’s hard to see a fighter you can feel confident saying should be the favorite, outside of Makhachev. Even Makhachev would likely suggest a different kind of willingness to deal with someone like Morales.
He may not get a title fight next, but after Saturday’s performance, there won’t be many fighters lining up to take on the unbeaten fighter from Ecuador. –Andreas Hill
One punch revives the Brats’ buzz
With a straight left hand, Pratts put himself back into welterweight contender status and revitalized the momentum of his tag team, The Fighting Nerds. That’s what firing a former UFC champion can do.
Pratts saw his 11-fight winning streak end with an April loss to Ian Machado Gary. He returned to the win column four months later with a knockout against Jeff Neal, but to get on the right track, he needed something bigger. He achieved it with a second-round knockout of Leon Edwards, who had never been knocked out before in 29 fights.
The finish immediately lifted Brats up in the 170-pound division — but only for a few minutes. In the ensuing fight, Morales remained undefeated with a quick finish of Brady, who ranks one spot ahead of Edwards in ESPN’s divisional rankings. The truth is that both Pratts and Morales elevated themselves, and the entire night made them a star at welterweight. — Wagenheim