Two of the most accomplished women in mixed martial arts history will collide at Madison Square Garden this November.
It’s long been discussed, but now it’s come to fruition. Women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and strawweight champion Zhang Weili will collide Nov. 15 at UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in New York. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout Thursday evening on Instagram Live.
In what is her second UFC title reign, Shevchenko has won back-to-back title fights over Alexa Grasso and Manon Fiorot. Prior to her vacating, Weili was also on her second title reign. She’s won five fights in a row, including four title fight victories over Carla Esparza, Amanda Lemos, Xiaonan Yan, and Tatiana Suarez.
With her entry into the flyweight title picture, Weili (26-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has vacated the strawweight title, which will now be up for grabs between two top 115-pound contenders. Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern will fight for the vacant strawweight title Oct. 25 at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
Jandiroba has knocked off contender after contender en route to her first title fight. Wins over Angela Hill, Marina Rodriguez, Loopy Godinez, Amanda Lemos and Xiaonan Yan have landed her here. Dern has won back-to-back fights over Godinez and Lemos.
The current UFC 322 lineup now includes:
- Champion Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev – for welterweight title
- Champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili – for women’s flyweight title
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
- Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
