Heading into UFC 322, there was a massive focus on the welterweight division, as the main card featured a pair of critical matchups between Top 10 talents and was headlined by a championship clash between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. When the dust settled at Madison Square Garden this past weekend, a new champion had emerged, and a pair of Dana White’s Contender Series graduates had thrust themselves into the title conversation.
But the welterweight focus was always set to carry over to this weekend’s debut event in Doha, Qatar, as the co-main event on Saturday’s fight card at ABHA Arena features former titleholder Belal Muhammad returning for the first time since losing the belt in a crucial showdown with Irish standout Ian Machado Garry.