UFC 322 fight card: Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales, Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates among fights to watch

UFC 322 has a case for being the year's best pay-per-view on paper. Two superfights -- Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena, and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang -- sit atop the marquee, with an undercard packed with contenders and a former champion.

The welterweight and middleweight divisions are well represented in New York. Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales could determine the next challenger for Makhachev or Della Maddalena, while former champion Leon Edwards battles the dynamic Carlos Prates. Over at 185 pounds, Bo Nickal looks to redeem his first career loss. In a separate bout, Roman Kopylov dukes it out with a middleweight slugger.

Ahead of UFC 322, let's take a look at three non-title fights that you shouldn't miss.

UFC 322 card -- Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev: Five biggest storylines to watch in New York

Brian Campbell

Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales

Meet two men reshaping the 170-pound weight class. Brady and Morales are part of the new age welterweight -- along with champion JDM, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry -- taking over the division. Brady (No. 2) is risking a lot against Morales (No. 8), a relatively new addition to the mix. Brady is a monstrous grappler and athlete. He's coming off his biggest win yet, a submission over former champion Edwards. Morales is a bonus hunting, knockout machine with first-round stoppages against veterans Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny. A combined 36-1, the winner could likely challenge Makhachev or Della Maddlena for UFC gold.

Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates

Edwards and Prates fight with heavy chips on their shoulders. Edwards is coming off consecutive losses for the first time, a stark contrast to the career heights preceding it as welterweight champion. It's been a bad year for Prates' Fighting Nerds. The collective had a breakout 2024, but their momentum didn't carry through 2025. Prates and his teammates -- Caio Borralho, Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy -- all lost key fights this year. There's still hope for the Brazilian conglomerate. Prates stopped Geoff Neal with a memorable spinning back elbow in August. If he can carry that momentum through a win over Edwards, Prates will be the closest among his contingent to a title shot. For Edwards, victory is imperative to hang on in a rapidly changing welterweight landscape.

Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues

There are two frontrunners for Fight of the Night: Kopylov vs. Rodriguez and Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis. Although the lightweight clash has higher-ranked contenders, and Saint-Denis has the most upside of all four athletes, there's something about this middleweight collision that I can't shake. Kopylov and Rodrigues are ferocious strikers. Kopylov is the smoother operator, landing precision power strikes. Rodrigues embodies his "Robocop" nickname, marching forward until he or his opponent short-circuits. Kopylov laid an egg against Paulo Costa this summer, so it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back on Saturday.

Honorable mentions: Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis, Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira