Islam Makhachev has gotten some praise from a former foe one month prior to UFC 322.
Makhachev is scheduled to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC Welterweight Championship on Nov. 15. He vacated the UFC Lightweight Championship in an effort to capture the 170-pound gold. Makhachev vs. Maddalena will be held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Dan Hooker, who was submitted by Makhachev back in 2021, had some high praise for the former 155-pound champion for moving up in weight when speaking to Sky Sports Australia (h/t MMAJunkie).
“A huge ask for Islam, credit to him for stepping up to the plate and coming up to welterweight,” Hooker continued. “He definitely got my respect for being able to move up a weight class and fight Jack Della. It’s something that even the greatest lightweight of all time, Khabib, never managed to chase as an accomplishment in being a two-division champion. So, credit to him, but it’s a huge ask.”
Maddalena captured the UFC Welterweight Championship from Makhachev’s teammate Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 back in May. Maddalena put his much improved takedown defense on display. He was able to output more damage on Muhammad in the standup and he emerged victorious via unanimous decision.
UFC 322 will also feature a super fight for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship. Former strawweight ruler Zhang Weili steps up to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound gold. Sean Brady is set to take on Michael Morales, while former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards meets Carlos Prates.
Other key matchups set for the UFC 322 card include Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis, Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez, and Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira.
Stick with BJPenn.com for the latest updates on the UFC 322 card. We’ll be providing live coverage of the stacked event on fight night.