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Andreas Hale
Islam Makhachev’s quest to become a two-division champion was fulfilled Saturday night when he smothered Jack Della Maddalena for five rounds to capture the welterweight championship with a unanimous decision win at UFC 322 in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
All three judges scored the fight 50-45 for Makhachev.
Makhachev (28-1) tied Anderson Silva’s UFC record with his 16th consecutive win, adding to a remarkable decade-long unbeaten run by racking up 19 minutes, 10 seconds of control time against Della Maddalena.
“This is the dream,” Makhachev said. “All my life I’ve fought for this. I worked hard for this moment.”
It was a suffocating performance by Makhachev, mixing calf kicks and head strikes with his vaunted grappling to stifle Della Maddalena, who entered the fight with a determined scowl. By the middle rounds, that scowl had changed to a look of defeat.
Della Maddalena (18-3) hadn’t lost since dropping his first two pro MMA fights in 2016, and he had won the welterweight title by outstriking Belal Muhammad in May. But Della Maddalena had absolutely nothing for Makhachev, who secured every takedown he chased and kept the Australian fighter’s back pinned to the canvas for long stretches.
Although Makhachev was the betting favorite, there was concern that Della Maddalena’s size and boxing would present some challenges. Those concerns were quashed seconds into the fight when Makhachev shut down Della Maddalena’s offensive charge with a takedown and glued the champion’s back to the canvas.
“My life has changed,” Makhachev said of his move up to welterweight from lightweight. “I didn’t have to cut weight. I can do what I want. It made this night easy.”
It was indeed easy, as Makhachev controlled every aspect of the fight. The Russian fighter outstruck Della Maddalena 123-32 by using a healthy diet of calf kicks that hobbled the champion. Makhachev’s top control was too much for Della Maddalena, who spent large portions of the fight trying to squirm his way to his feet and avoid being trapped in a submission.
Della Maddalena might have been resigned to defeat by the third round, but he refused to let Makhachev finish him. Nevertheless, Makhachev had his way.
“This was my plan, and it’s not a secret,” Makhachev said. “All of my opponents know this, but nobody can stop it.”
After staking his claim as arguably the greatest lightweight in UFC history, Makhachev will start a new run in a welterweight division full of dynamic fighters. Earlier in the night, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales scored devastating finishes to make their cases as the next title contenders, with Prates stopping Leon Edwards and Morales handling Sean Brady.
But the fight everyone is looking forward to is a clash between Makhachev and UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Topuria took aim at Makhachev shortly after Saturday’s win, exuding confidence that he can finish one of the best fighters in the world.
“You’re the most boring thing in this game,” Topuria wrote on X. “Every day I’m more certain I put you to sleep.”
Although Makhachev didn’t call for a matchup with Topuria afterward, he did call his shot for where he wants to have his next fight.
“Open the White House,” he said, referring to the UFC’s highly anticipated event in 2026. “I am coming.”