Overview
- Makhachev officially weighed in at 170 pounds after relinquishing the lightweight belt to pursue two-division status.
- He enters on a 15-fight win streak dating to 2016, and a win would break Anderson Silva’s UFC record for consecutive victories, according to USA TODAY.
- UFC CEO Dana White says the card is tracking a $13 million gate, projected No. 3 all-time for UFC events at Madison Square Garden and top 10 in company history.
- The co-main features Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili, and the event streams on ESPN PPV at 10 p.m. ET with prelims on Disney+/ESPN+ and FX/ESPNEWS.
- Fight-week notes include Khabib Nurmagomedov’s public message of support for Makhachev and Georges St‑Pierre’s view that later rounds may favor Della Maddalena because of the weight jump.