Overview
- Makhachev vacated his lightweight crown earlier this year and debuts at welterweight in a bid to become a two-division champion, while Della Maddalena makes his first defense since beating Belal Muhammad.
- Oddsmakers list Makhachev as the favorite at roughly -300, even as Georges St-Pierre cautions that added weight could sap endurance in later rounds.
- Makhachev officially weighed in at 170 pounds on Friday, confirming his move up for the Madison Square Garden headliner.
- Valentina Shevchenko puts the women’s flyweight belt on the line against Zhang Weili, who moved up after relinquishing the strawweight title.
- The main card also features Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates, Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales, and Beneil Dariush vs. Benoît Saint Denis, with the PPV available on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN platforms.