An exciting new fight has been announced for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, further enhancing an already stacked card.
This highly anticipated annual pay-per-view event in New York City is set to feature two championship bouts, promising thrilling action and a huge superfight atmosphere.
In the co-main event, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against Zhang Weili. For the main event, Jack Della Maddalena is set to fight Islam Makhachev, with the Dagestani standout challenging for the welterweight belt after his dominant reign at 155 pounds.
The undercard for Makhachev’s return is now confirmed to include a fighter often mentioned as a potential opponent for him in the lightweight division.
Beneil Dariush Set to Face Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322
Alongside the confirmed title holders and challengers, UFC 322 on November 15 will also feature other prominent names, including Leon Edwards and Erin Blanchfield. Reportedly, Beneil Dariush (ranked No. 9 in the lightweight division) will clash with Benoit Saint-Denis (ranked four spots lower).
This high-stakes matchup was confirmed by Saint-Denis’ manager, Guillaume Peltier, to RMC Sport, indicating a significant fight for both contenders as they aim to climb the rankings.
Both fighters are entering this bout with recent victories, having successfully rebounded from previous losing skids. Dariush, 36, secured a dominant win against former title challenger Renato Moicano at UFC 317 this past June.
Saint-Denis, known as ‘God of War’, has had an impressive 2025. After facing setbacks against Dustin Poirier and Moicano, he decisively defeated newcomer Kyle Prepolec in May. Following this, in early September, Saint-Denis submitted Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Paris in dominant fashion.
Saint-Denis will now seek to break into the top 10 of the lightweight rankings by overcoming Dariush.
Dariush`s Previous Bold Claim Against Islam Makhachev
Prior to his UFC 317 fight with Moicano, Dariush was originally scheduled to fight Moicano at UFC 311. However, Islam Makhachev needed a last-minute opponent after Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal, leading to Moicano stepping in. Dariush was consequently left off the card.
Moicano was subsequently submitted by Makhachev in the very first round of their bout.
Months later, the No. 9-ranked contender Dariush reflected on how he would have performed against the champion on such short notice. He asserted that he would not only have outperformed Moicano but confidently 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.”
Dariush continued, “I don’t think I was gonna lose that fight. I thought pretty sure I was gonna win that fight.”
