Another intriguing bout has been added to UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden.
Two titles will be on the line when the Octagon heads to New York City for the UFC’s annual pay-per-view event at MSG, with a shot at two-division glory and a huge super fight set for the iconic venue.
After flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko defends against Zhang Weili in the co-main event, Jack Della Maddalena will fight Islam Makhachev in the UFC 322 headliner. The Dagestani standout will be challenging for the welterweight belt following a dominant reign at 155 pounds.
The undercard for Makhachev’s return now looks set to feature a name often brought up when it came to the pool of his possible opponents in the lightweight division.
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Beneil Dariush vs Benoit Saint-Denis reportedly added to the UFC 322 card
In addition to the headlining champions and challengers, a number of other prominent names have already been confirmed for the UFC 322 lineup on November 15. That includes Leon Edwards, Erin Blanchfield, and now two big names inside the lightweight rankings.
Per RMC Sport, No. 9 contender Beneil Dariush will face the man four places below him on the ladder, Benoit Saint-Denis. The French outlet has reported that the fight was confirmed by Saint-Denis’ manager, Guillaume Peltier.
Both men will enter the fight on the back of strong performances to rebound from losing skids. Dariush returned to winning ways this past June at UFC 317, where the 36-year-old got the better of ex-title challenger Renato Moicano.
‘God of War’, meanwhile, has bounced back in a major way in 2025. He snapped a run in which he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier and stopped against Moicano by beating newcomer Kyle Prepolec in May. Then, in early September, Saint-Denis submitted Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Paris in dominant fashion.
He’ll now look to rise into the top 10 at Dariush’s expense.
Beneil Dariush claimed he could have beaten Islam Makhachev at UFC 311
Before sharing the cage with Moicano at UFC 317, Dariush had his original fight date with the Brazilian hijacked when Islam Makhachev was left without an opponent this past January.
Moicano stepped in on late notice against Makhachev at UFC 311 after Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal, leaving the American contender off the card. Moicano was ultimately submitted in the very first round.
Months later, the No. 9-ranked contender assessed how he’d have done against the champion on a day’s notice. More than just outperforming Moicano, Dariush claimed he would have finished Makhachev.
“I would’ve won,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “It would’ve been a finish for sure.
“It wasn’t gonna go five rounds. The way Makhachev and I fight, it’s not going five rounds. Neither of us have ever lost a decision. He doesn’t lose decisions. I don’t lose decisions.
“I don’t think I was gonna lose that fight,” Dariush continued. “I thought pretty sure I was gonna win that fight.”