AI-assisted summary
• SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated that expanding the college football playoff to 16 teams should be a priority.
• The Big Ten and SEC have not yet agreed on a format for a potential 16-team playoff.
• The Big Ten has favored a model with more automatic bids, while the SEC prefers a format with more at-large selections.

ATHENS, GA – SEC commissioner Greg Sankey desires playoff expansion, but the hour grows late to strike a deal to grow the playoff by next season.

Speaking with reporters before Saturday’s Texas-Georgia game, Sankey raised a call to grow the College Football Playoff by four teams, but the SEC and Big Ten remain unable so far to agree on how those bids should be allocated.

“The move to 16 should be a priority for all of us in conference leadership,” Sankey said.

There’s a Dec. 1 deadline to expand the playoff for next season. If the SEC and Big Ten can’t agree to an expanded format,  “we’re at 12” for next season, Sankey said.

This meshes with what CFP executive director Rich Clark has said previously: If the SEC and Big Ten don’t agree on a 16-team format, then that will prolong the current format for at least another season.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has pushed for a 16-team format that pre-assigns multiple automatic qualifiers to each of the Power Four conferences. Petitti also likes the idea of play-in games determining which teams receive those automatic bids.

The Big Ten, though, found itself alone on an island this summer favoring a 3+3+2+2+1+3 format, which would allocate three automatic bids apiece to the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the Group of Five, leaving three at-large bids. This format, loaded with auto bids, would achieve Petitti’s goal of reducing the selection committee’s role in determining bids.

The SEC does not share that goal.

For years, Sankey has preferred formats using at-large selection to determine bids. When the playoff expanded from four, Sankey initially wanted to keep all bids assigned by an at-large process, but the SEC compromised and accepted the current 5+7 format that’s in place for the 12-team format, with five automatic bids and seven at-large selections.

The SEC threw support behind a 5+11 playoff format last summer, a plan ACC and Big 12 officials have said they would support. The Big Ten remained a holdout on that plan, and playoff expansion cannot occur without the two main power brokers — the SEC and Big Ten — coming to terms.

Is there any format the SEC would accept other than 5+11?

“Sure, 16+0,” said Sankey, referring to a 16-team playoff in which all 16 bids would be awarded via at-large selection. “But, that’s not reality.”

“The opportunity to have a 16-team format with five conference champions with access and 11 (at-large) is something we could accept,” he added.

The question persists of whether the Big Ten can accept that 5+11 plan.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Ole Miss football took home a win in the ‘Lane Kiffin Bowl’ in Week 12 with a 34-24 come-from-behind win vs. Florida.

Just as the Rebels closed off their 10th win of the season, moving one step closer to appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, Ole Miss fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium made one thing clear to the Rebels brass and Kiffin: They want Lane.

As captured by the ESPN broadcast, ‘We want Lane’ chants broke out in the Ole Miss student section after Kiffin has been linked to the Florida open head coach vacancy, on top of numerous other Power Four conference openings. It appeared not to faze him, as he remained locked in on the final 60 seconds of the game:

Given what he has done in seven seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin has become a regular on coaching hot boards as positions become available across college football.

On top of his ties to the state of Florida, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, who told USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer last month that he is a fan of Kiffin and thinks he is a ‘very good coach.’

‘I wanted to be Steve Spurrier,’ Kiffin said during a recent appearance on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast. ‘When I watched him and his offenses in the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and team and stuff, I was like, Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.’

Kiffin himself has talked at length about his name being tossed around in the coaching carousel, including saying on an appearance on ESPN’s ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ that he will never ‘make a decision based on money’ and that he hasn’t made one based on money in his coaching career.

The win over Florida moved Ole Miss’ record to 54-19 overall under Kiffin.

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Last season, Alabama’s dreams of a College Football Playoff appearance in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer was dashed by a 24-3 loss against an Oklahoma team that finished the season 6-7.

One year later, the Sooners were again able to vex the Crimson Tide.

Despite struggling offensively for much of the afternoon, No. 10 Oklahoma forced three turnovers to lift it to a 23-21 victory over No. 4 Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The loss snapped the Crimson Tide’s eight-game win streak while throwing the race for the SEC championship into flux, with four teams in the conference now with one loss entering Saturday night (Texas A&M is the league’s lone undefeated team in SEC play). Alabama also saw its 17-game home win streak come to an end.

It was the Crimson Tide’s first SEC home loss since 2019 and first homecoming loss since 2001.

With the victory, a Sooners team that had lost two of its past four games after a 5-0 start kept its playoff hopes alive. Coach Brent Venables’ squad has games remaining against No. 24 Missouri and LSU, both of which come at home.

Alabama’s three turnovers led to 17 points, helping Oklahoma pick up a win on a day in which it had just 215 yards of total offense. Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson, one of a handful of Heisman Trophy front-runners, threw just his second interception of the season, which was returned 87 yards by Sooners defensive back Eli Bowen for a touchdown.

Alabama’s two other turnovers, both fumbles, gave Oklahoma the ball inside the Crimson Tide 35-yard line.

Alabama also had a 36-yard field goal blocked in the waning seconds of the first half, a kick that would have tied the game at 17. It was just the second missed kick inside of 40 yards this season for Crimson Tide sophomore Conor Talty.

Alabama got its own 48-yard line with 53 seconds remaining, but a Simpson pass to Ryan Williams on fourth-and-6 was broken up by Peyton Bowen to seal the victory for the Sooners.

Simpson completed 28 of his 42 passes for 326 yards. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer had 161 total yards and a rushing touchdown in a winning effort.

KEARNS, Utah — The scary thing is, Jordan Stolz can get better.

The American phenom won the 500 and 1,500 meters Saturday and flirted with a world record for the second time in his first three races. Stolz’s time of 1:40.48 in the 1,500 meters was just 0.31 seconds off the record set in 2019 by Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands, who he was paired with for the race.

‘I think I can still make a lot of improvements, so that’s good,’ said Stolz, who is now 3-for-3 in this season-opening World Cup, with two more races Sunday. ‘I have a lead right now and I think that lead can get bigger. But I also expect them to get better, too. So it’s kind of a toss up.

‘But I’m happy with where it’s at.’

Erin Jackson also made the podium, finishing second in the first 500-meter race. Brittany Bowe had the lead in the 1,500 meters until the last lap before finishing sixth.

‘It’s a really good feeling going into the rest of the season. Mainly, I feel really good about the way my back feels,’ said Jackson, who has struggled with back issues since winning gold in the 500 meters at the Beijing Olympics.

‘The (time trial) last week was my first race where I didn’t have to worry about my back in three years,’ Jackson said. ‘It was an amazing feeling, so I’m really, really excited.’

That Stolz has three wins in his first three races so far isn’t a surprise. He won all three distances at the world championships in both 2023 and 2024, and was the overall winner in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters last season.

He also swept all his races at five of the last seven World Cups, going back to the 2023-24 season.

Stolz will be favored to win gold at all three distances at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Should he do that, he would join Eric Heiden as the only Americans to win three or more gold medals at a single Winter Games. Heiden famously won all five of his races at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

Stolz also would be the first male speed skater to win three or more medals at a single games since Heiden.

But while Stolz doesn’t get caught up in the expectations on him, he does recognize he is now the skater everyone wants to beat.

Stolz had thought a world record in the 1,500 might be possible. But he’s not in peak shape yet and he’d won the 500 about an hour earlier, and he found himself trailing Nuis heading into the final lap.

‘When he was a little bit ahead of me going to the last lap, it was a little bit of a worry,’ Stolz said.

Stolz closed with a fury, however. With the crowd roaring as he came down the final straightaway, Stolz shot ahead. He wound up bettering his previous best time by 0.39 seconds.

‘I’m just pushing as hard as I possibly can,’ Stolz said of his close.

And just like in the 1,000 meters, where he just missed matching his own world record, Stolz was closer to the record than his competitors were to him. Ning Zhongyan of China was second, 0.54 seconds behind Stolz, and Germany’s Finn Sonnekalb was third.

In the 500 meters, his first race Saturday, Stolz was paired with Damien Żurek of Poland, who was second to the American in the 1,000 meters Friday night. Żurek kept the race close, but Stolz edged him at the finish line.

His time of 33.88 was just 0.02 seconds ahead of Żurek. Gao Tingyu of China was third at 33.93 seconds.

‘I was training leading up to this competition, so it’s not like I was super prepared,’ Stolz said. ‘So I’m really happy with the results I did, being the condition that I’m in right now.’

Islam Makhachev did more than beat Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, Nov. 15.

The 34-year-old Russian also became the 11th UFC fighter to win championships in two divisions, joining the likes of Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes and Conor McGregor.

‘This is a dream,’ Makhachev said during a post-fight interview. ‘All my life for this …’

Vacating his lightweight title, Makhachev moved up 15 pounds to the welterweight division in search of a second championship belt. He got it in dominant fashion.

Della Maddalena is one of the best strikers in the UFC. But it didn’t matter because Makhachev scored repeated takedowns and control almost 20 minutes of 25-minute, five-round fight.

With the victory, Makhachev  joined other double champions such as Jon Jones, Amanda Nunez and Conor McGregor.

He also won for 16th straight time, tying Anderson Silva’s record for longest winning streak in UFC history, and improving his record to 28-1 (17-1 UFC).

Della Maddalena, who won the UFC welterweight championship with a victory over Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision May 10, 2025, was making his first title defense.

The loss to Makhachev ended Della Maddalena’s 18-matchup winning streak, which included eight UFC fights. His record dropped to 18-3 (8-1 UFC).

UFC 322 main card results

• Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena (Welterweight title): Unanimous decision
• Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili (Women’s flyweight title): Unanimous decision
• Michael Morales def. Sean Brady (Welterweight): TKO
• Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards (Welterweight): TKO
• Benoît Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush (Lightweight): KO

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev results: Makhachev wins welterweight title

Round 1: Jack Della Maddalena (JDM) chases after Islam Makhachev, then relents. They’re now at the center of the right, maybe Makhachev is willing to strike. No dice. Makhachev takes down JDM and Mahachev looks like a boa constrictor. A boa that can punch. JDM showing no sign of wriggling free and Makhachev is throwing punches to the head. JDM creatively working to is feet, but Makhachev still in control. As good a scrambler as JDM has proven to be, he looks pretty helpless now, especially with the punches coming. 30 seconds left. Can JDM survive the round? He will, but connects with an illegal head kick after the round ends. Makhachev 10, JDM 9.  

Round 2: They opened with low leg kicks. Makhachev’s is crisp. Makhachev connects with a head kick. JMD flips over Makhachev into the mat and appears to be in serious trouble. Off his feet, JDM is a sitting duck. Or prone duck. Makhachev comfortably on top and now throwing punches and elbows. Crowd boos, clearly wanting the fighters on their feet. JDM squirming and making no progress as Makhachev periodically punches with his right hand. Now Makhachev pounds JDM’s head with elbows. JDM is back on his feet! Hey, that’s cause for celebration in this fight. Makhachev 20, JDM 18.

Round 3: Fighters circling. JDM throws a couple of punches but looks tentative after the takedowns. Makhachev landed a stinging leg kick, then follows up with some striking. But JDM lands body shots that look effective. Just like that, Makhachev takes down JDM yet again. Boos from the crowd, but Mahachev will pay no attention. JDM looks red and exhausted with Makhachev on top. Makhachev adding insult to injury with short punches. JDM hanging on as the round comes to a close. Makhachev 30, JDM 27. 

Round 4: JDM, on a damaged right leg, opens with right-legged kicks. Brave, but advisable? Makhachev responds with a left kick to the body. Makhachev scores yet another takedown. Makhachev almost toying with JDM, who flips in attempt to get away. But Makhachev is ready. JDM is going nowhere. Makhachev has him smothered. JDM clearly in pain as the round ends. Makhachev 40, JDM 36. 

Round 5: JDM moving forward and trying to punch. Just like that, Makhachev takes him down again. He looks physically compromised and Makhachev is looking for the submission. But now he settles for some light punches to the head. Three minutes left. Can JDM survive the round? That’s about all the suspense that is left. JDM looks in agony, but it’s over. Makhachev 50, JDM 45.

Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili by unanimous decision

Vaentina Shevchenko is not unbeatable. But she sure looked it.

Shevchenko dominated Zhang Weili in defending the women’s flyweight title. She also denied Weii’s attempt to become a two-division champion.

Weili vacated her strawweight title to challenge Shevchenko for the flyweight title that would have made Weili the 11th UFC athlete to win titles in two division.

She had no shot.

All three judges scored the five-round fight 50-45 for Shevchenko, who dominated from the outset and controlled much of the fight with takedowns. Even on her feet, Weili was overmatched by the taller and stronger Shevchenko.

Shevchenko, a 37-year-old Russian, improved to 26-4-1 (15-3-1 UFC). Weili, a 36-year-old from China, fell to 26-4 (10-3 UFC).

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili, women’s flyweight

Round 1: Zhang Weili takes a kick from Valentina Shevchenko and lands a right. Shevchenko responded with a left kick partially blocked by Weili. Shevchenko hs a clear height advantage, which will force Weili to get in close. She attempts a takedown and Shevchenko ends up on top. Shevchenko scores with a knee. Now the fighters are up Weili lands a hard shot before Shevchenko pulls Weili to the mat and gets on top. They’re exchanging body shots as Weili gets smothered as the round ends. Shevchenko 10, Weili 9.

Round 2: Weili rushed in and Shevchenko scores with a counter, then takes down Weili down again. She looks to be in total control as Weili covers her face. More than three minutes in the round and Shevchenko is draped over Weili and wearing Weili out. Shevchenko is stymying Weili at every turn. Fans express some dissatisfaction. Weili struggles to get loose and Shevchenko throws punches and then a shoulder. Weili is taking big shots in the face as the round comes to a close. Shevchenko 20, Weili 18.

Round 3: Shevchenko nearly lands a nasty leg kick. Weili tried one of her own. He falls well short and shows how well Shevchenko is using her size to maintain distance. Weili attempts another kick and ends up taking a knee. Weili lands a right but backs away. Shevchenko drills Weili with a knee to the body. Weili looks understandably apprehensive and then gets taken down with 1 ½ minutes left in the round. Total domination. Shevchenko 30, Weili 27.

Round 4: Weili unfurls a kick and get popped in the face. Shevchenko lands a couple of crisp kicks. And he lands more kicks. Weili unable to close the gap while Shevchenko is landing almost at will and then taking down again with about a minute let in the round. Weili looks absolutely helpless as Shevchenko scores with shoulder strikes. Shevchenko 40, Weili 36.

Round 5: Weili shows some aggression and Shevchenko gets her wrapped up and pinned against the fence. The break and four minutes remain. Shevchenko lands a hard leg kick. Weili pushed forward and gets wrapped up yet again. Another takedown for guess who? Shevchenko, of course. Three minutes and counting as Shevchenko controls from the top and landing punches to the head, followed by elbows. Gonna need some Excedrin. Weili on her back, Shevchenko on her feet. And it’s over. Shevchenko 50, Weili 45. 

Michael Morales def. Sean Brady by TKO

Michael Morales, a rising star from Ecuador, needed help from a translator during his post-fight interview. But once again his fists did the talking – or screaming – with a three-punch combination that knocked out Sean Brady in the first round of the welterweight bout.

It was reminiscent of his first-round knockout of Gilbert Burns one match ago and a sign that Morales could contend for the welterweight title.

The victory over Brady was decisive and convincing considering Morales was facing the No. 2 ranked contender who was expected to challenge Morales with his grappling skills. But Morales fists kept Brady on the defensive from the start.

Morales battered Brady and cut him near his left eye before the finishing blows.

Morales improved to 19-0 (7-0 UFC). 18-0 (6-0 UFC). Brady fell to 18-2 (8-2 UFC).

Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales, welterweight

Round 1: Michael Morales with a noticeable size advantage. But the stocky Sean Brady showing no fear. Morales throwing lefts without much power. Brady swinging low leg kicks without much vigor. Morales chases, Brady retreats. Brady lands two hard rights and is on the attack. Brady in trouble. He takes another uppercut, but Brady looks stable again. Brady attempts the takedown an takes punches as a result. Brady cut on the side of his left eye. Morales capitalizing on eh reach advantage and drops Brady. It’s over! It’s over! Morales by TKO!

Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards by TKO

The Fighting Nerds are to be feared. Certainly when one of their leaders, Carlos Prates, is in the ring.

In the second round of the welterweight, Prates blasted Leon Edwards with a left hand that lifted Edwards off of his feet and sent him tumbling on his back.

Soon after the referee halted the fight, at 1:28 of the second round.

Afterward, Prates put on a set of horn-rimmed glasses with white tape down the middle and flashed a giant smile.

There were fewer smiles in the first round when Edwards pinned Prates against the fence and drilled him with a knee to the chin. Prates barely reacted.

He came out aggressive in the second round and Edwards seemed to know what was coming before the TKO punch. He raised his right fist for protection, but Prates still blasted the left hand through for the finishing punch.

Prates, the 32-year-old Brazilian, improved to 23-7 (6-1 UFC). Edwards, the 34-year-old Jamaican and former welterweight champion, fell to 22-6 (14-5 UFC).

Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates, welterweight

Round 1: Leon Edwards and Carlos Prates exchange leg kicks, then exchange punches. Edwards attempts a takedown but Prater handles it well as the fighters find themselves in a clinch on the fence. Prates jawing at Edwards and Edwards answers with a left knee to the head. Crowd booing. Ref breaks them up and crowd cheers. Prates lands knee to body and Edwards knocks him off balance with kick and he scores a takedown. Edwards riding Prates back and throwing punches into Prates’ face. Prates calmly taking it. Edwards then takes Prates down to the mat and has him in a chole as final seconds elapse. Edwards 10, Prates 9.

Round 2: They fighters exchange leg kicks and appear to be measuring. Prates lands a left, then a low leg kick. Prates landing now. Then he drops Edwards and it’s over!!! Prates by TKO!!

Benoit Saint-Denis def. Beneil Dariush by KO

Sixteen seconds. That’s how long this lightweight fight lasted, and it was memorable.

Literally seconds after it began, Beneil Dariush knocked Benoît Saint-Denis to the mat with a left leg kick.  Moments later, Saint-Denis clubbed Dariush with a left hand followed with another punch after Dariush hit the mat.

The bout, fought at 157.2-pound catchweight, had come to a stunning end.

Saint-Denis, a 29-year-oldl from France, improved to 16-3 (8-3 UFC). Dariush, a 36-year-old born in Iran, fell to 23-7-1 (17-7-1 UFC)

Beneil Dariush vs. Benoît Saint-Denis, catchweight (157.2 pounds)

Round 1: Beneil Dariush knocks Benoît Saint-Denis to the mat with a left leg kick. And, wow, what a turnaround. Saint-Denis clubs Daruish with a left and it’s ober. Knockout victory for Saint-Denis!

UFC 322: Time, PPV, streaming for Makhachev vs Della Maddalena

The highly anticipated fight between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 15
• Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
• Early Prelims start time: 6 p.m. ET
• Early Prelims card TV: FX; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
• Prelims card start time: 8 p.m. ET
• Prelims card TV: ESPNEWS/FX; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
• Main card start time: 10 p.m. ET
• Main card stream: ESPN+ PPV

Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription

Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira by KO

Bo Nickal pounded Rodolfo Veiera with lefts through the middleweight fight, but ended it with something far more devastating.

Nickal knocked out Vieira with a head kick, his left leg chopping down Vieira with 2:36 left in the fight. Then he climbed into the top of the Octagon fence and flipped off the crowd, which had booed earlier in the round when the action slowed.

‘Either love me or hate me,’ Nickal said during a postfight interview. ‘Pick one.’

It was mostly a lovefest, with Nickal prompted chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!’’ as quickly pinned Vieira on the fence and attacked with his fists.

By the second round, Vieira’s face was covered with blood. And by the third round, it was desperation time when Nickal landed the knockout head kick.

Nickal, a 29-year-old from Colorado, improved to 8-1 (5-1 UFC). Vieira, a 36-year-old from Brazil, fell to 11-4 (6-4 UFC).

Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision

Gregory Rodrigues (a.k.a Robocop) looked like a bodybuilder who stumbled into a UFC event. The muscled Brazilian mostly dominated the less fit and less dangerous Roman Kopylov while winning their middleweight fight by unanimous decision.

Rodrigues came out firing his right hand and whipping his right leg, as Kopylov looked determined, if unsuccessful, to stay out of harm’s way.

It was more of the same in the second round, as Rodrigues bloodied Kopylov.

In the third round, Kopylov cracked Rodrigues with a hard left and showed fight. But it was too late to reverse the outcome.

The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, 29-98 in favor of Rodrigues, who at one pointed prompted cheers of “Robo-cop! Robo-cop!’’

Rodrigues, the 33-year-old Brazilian, improved his record to 18-6 (9-3 UFC). Kopylov, the 34-year-old Russian, fell to 14-5 (6-5 UFC).

Erin Blanchfield def Tracy Cortez by submission

Firing punches from the outset, Tracy Cortez proved dangerous on her feet. So Erin Blanchfield responded wisely and took the fight to the mat.

Blanchfield scored two takedowns in the second round and won by submission with a chokehold with 16 seconds left in the round of the women’s flyweight fight.

It was a rematch of their 2019, when Cortez won by split decision. She looked strong early. But Cortez was bleeding by the right eye in the second round, and as Cortez tired and Blanchfield took control.

Blanchfield, a 29-year-old from New Jersey, improved to 14-2 (8-1 UFC). Cortez, a 31-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, dropped to 12-3 (6-2 UFC)

Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker by unanimous decision

Ewing took the fight on 48 hours notice after Cody Haddon withdrew with an injury and he looked like he’d been preparing for weeks. In his UFC debut, Ewing subdued the previously undefeated Malcolm Wellmaker with punches, kicks and a couple timely takedowns in their featherweight fight.

The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for the poised Ewing of Yorba Linda, California.

‘You know what they say, the sword is deadliest in calm hands,’ Ewing said.

In the first round, 5-foot-10 Wellmaker staggered the 5-6 Ewing with a hard right. But he failed to capitalize on the moment or on his height advantage, as Ewing fought back with his fists.

Wellmaker scored, but many of his punches were off the mark. Ewing, however, scored with more accuracy and power.

Ewing improved to 9-1 (1-0 UFC) and Wellmaker fell to 10-1 (2-1 UFC).

UFC 322 fight results: Early prelims

• Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert (1st round — submission/D’arce choke), middleweight
• Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal (unanimous decision): Featherweight
• Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill(unanimous decision): Women’s Strawweight
• Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico (Round 3 – KO): Middleweight
• Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev (unanimous decision): Lightweight

UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev predictions

BetMGM: Islam Makhachev

Anatoly Pimentel writes: ‘A submission victory for Makhachev over Della Maddalena is my prediction for this fight because his wrestling skills are far superior and currently unstoppable. Furthermore, he won’t be stressing about weight cutting since he’ll move up in the welterweight division.

There’s no doubt that Della Maddalena has improved a lot in his grappling skills. With the help of Craig Jones and Alexander Volkanovski in his camp, he’ll still be able to improve them even more, but Makhachev’s wrestling and grappling are on another level.’

UFC.com: Islam Makhachev

Tim Finnegan of DraftKings writes: ‘Ultimately, Makhachev’s offensive grappling will probably be too much for Della Maddalena to handle, even with Craig Jones in his corner. Della Maddalena has been taken down 10 times in his last two fights by fighters who have inferior wrestling to Makhachev. Look for Makhachev to get this fight to the ground and cover the -5.5 point spread with a finish or a comfortable decision win.’

MMA Mania: Della Maddalena

Tim Bissell writes: ‘Della Maddalena lands 6.84 significant strikes a minute with 52% accuracy. That’s a ton of volume. More impressively, though, he has 64% defense against sig. strikes. This means he isn’t taking one to land one, like lots of guys with high volume stats. He’s landing punches in bunches and not getting countered. And he’s countering when opponents come forward to cut off their attempts to land big shots and combos.’

UFC 322 odds: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev fight

Odds via BetMGM as of Thursday.

• Jack Della Maddalena (+220) vs. Islam Makhachev (-275): Welterweight title

UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev fight card

Fight card according to ESPN: Odds via BetMGM.

(Odds as of Thursday)

Main Card:

• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev: Welterweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili: Women’s flyweight title
• Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales: Welterweight
• Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates: Welterweight
• Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis: Lightweight

Prelims:

• Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira: Middleweight
• Roman Kopylov  vs. Gregory Rodrigues: Middleweight
• Erin Blanchfieldvs. Tracy Cortez: Women’s flyweight
• Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cody Haddon: Batamweight

Early Prelims

• Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert: Middleweight
• Pat Sabatini vs. Chepe Mariscal: Featherweight
• Angela Hillvs. Fatima Kline: Women’s Strawweight
• Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico: Middleweight
• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Matheus Camilo: Lightweight

UFC 322 preliminary and main card start times

Here are your start times.

• Early Prelims: 6 p.m. ET (FX, ESPN+, Disney+)
• Prelims: 8 p.m. ET (ESPNEWS, FX, ESPN+, Disney+)
• Main card: 10 p.m. ET (PPV on ESPN+)

UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev full card odds

Fight card according to ESPN: Odds via BetMGM.

Main Card:

• Jack Della Maddalena (+220) vs. Islam Makhachev (-275): Welterweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko (-135) vs. Zhang Weili (+110): Women’s flyweight title
• Sean Brady (-145) vs. Michael Morales (+120): Welterweight
• Leon Edwards (+165) vs. Carlos Prates (-200): Welterweight
• Beneil Dariush (+165) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (-200): Lightweight

Prelims:

• Bo Nickal (-225) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (+185): Middleweight
• Roman Kopylov (+140) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (-170): Middleweight
• Erin Blanchfield (-250) vs. Tracy Cortez (+200): Women’s flyweight
• Malcolm Wellmaker (-165) vs. Cody Haddon (+135): Batamweight

Early Prelims

• Kyle Daukaus (-400) vs. Gerald Meerschaert(+310): Middleweight
• Pat Sabatini (+135) vs. Chepe Mariscal (+110): Featherweight
• Angela Hill (+375) vs. Fatima Kline (-500): Women’s Strawweight
• Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico: Middleweight

Ring walk time for Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena main event

The Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev fight card consists of 13 fights and will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 15, 2025, with early prelim fights. The main event for the Maddalena and Makhachev fight is expected to be around 11:30 p.m. ET. However, the duration of the undercard will impact when Maddalena and Makhachev actually start. — Elizabeth Flores

Who did Islam Makhachev lose to? 

Islam Makhachev has just one loss in 28 fights. He lost to Adrian Martins by KO in an October 2015 fight in UFC 192.

Jack Della Maddelena’s last fight

Jack Della Maddalena last fought in UFC 315 back in May of this year. He beat Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Islam Makhachev walkout song

Islam Makhachev typically favors the song ‘Dreams’ by DJ Nariman Ajikalov.

Where is UFC 322: Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena?

UFC 322: Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena will be held at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.

UFC 322 live stream

The Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena prelims and early prelims fights will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Disney+, while the main card will be streamed on ESPN Pay-Per-View.

UFC 322 price

UFC events are available to ESPN+ subscribers. The cost of the service is $10.99 a month or $109.99 for the year. The PPV is available for an additional $79.99.

Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena: Tale of the tape

Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov was defending against the Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson behind the net when his stick came up and appeared to catch Jarvis under his visor during the first period of the Nov. 14 game.

Jarvis grabbed his face and was cross-checked by Vancouver’s Marcus Pettersson.

Jarvis was writhing on the ice as a trainer came out to look at him. The trainer held a towel to Jarvis’ face as they left the ice.

Svechnikov scored his second goal of the game on the ensuing power play.

Seth Jarvis injury update

The Hurricanes announced that Jarvis was out for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury.

He entered the game with a team-high 10 goals and was second on the team with 15 points. Jarvis had an assist on Svechnikov’s first goal.

Jarvis, 23, made Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster last season.

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