“I think about moving up to 170, and I can stay there. I don’t want to make any statements, we will see how the fight goes, I have not spoken to the UFC since my last fight, we need to sit and talk about these moments.” Islam Makhachev stated this to Ushatayka after he made it look easy against Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January. The Dagestani believed that the mission of cleaning out the lightweight division was over. Hence, the move to welterweight was finally possible. In February, Dana White announced that the 170lbs kingpin Belal Muhammad would defend his belt against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. This was on the back of Shavkat Rakhmonov passing up the opportunity due to an injury.
Still, the 155lbs kingpin possibly moving up was the real talk of the town. It all got a little crazier when Rakhmonov was swapped out for the Aussie to face Muhammad in Montreal. Moreover, there were rumors that Makhachev was reportedly waiting for the winner of this headliner and would move up if the Aussie prevailed. This was recently even confirmed by Khabib Nurmagomedov in an interview with Adam Zubayraev. The popular mandate in the Dagestani camp is that Makhachev would not face another ‘145fer’ in the form of Ilia Topuria and instead go for the fabled double champ status. In the least, Nurmagomedov hinted at Arman Tsarukyan as a possible opponent for the Dagestani at 155lbs.
Even Muhammad, on the Barstool Chicago podcast, was talking about maybe jumping up to middleweight if Makhachev wanted to move up. Brotherhood indeed runs thicker than gold! But right now, everyone’s still talking about a potential superfight with Topuria. And it seems that 185lbs contender Bo Nickal is on the same boat as well.
During a conversation with the Schmo, Nickal said, “That’s a big jump. I think that right now, I would love to see a fight between him and Topuria. I don’t know what the match-ups are gonna look like with Topuria moving up to 155, but I would love to see Ilia and Islam match up there. I think it would be a super fan-friendly fight, and you pick two guys in my mind are probably top three, if not top five, like pound-for-pound best guys out there right now. So, I think this is a fight that should happen in my mind.”
January 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA: ISLAM MAKHACHEV 27-1-0 of Makhachkala, Russia defeats RENATO MOICANO 20-6-1 of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil by submission DÃââ Arce choke at 4:05 of round 1 during UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California Inglewood USA – ZUMAo117 20250118_zsp_o117_030 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
Makhachev’s already defended that belt four times now, so yeah, the guy’s earned the right to start thinking about chasing a second one. However, just like Nickal, the MMA world is yet to chill until we see that superfight go down. Honestly, it’s been kind of all over the place. And even after rejecting Topuria in his interview appearance, Khabib, outta nowhere, posted a photo of a raging bull, and people started connecting the dots like crazy. Although nothing’s official yet, we’re all just riding the wave of anticipation. Up to the present time, it kind of feels like the chances have gone up a bit.
Still, the 155lbs champ moving up to welterweight? That’s still on the table, just maybe after he deals with Topuria. Makhachev always had that second belt in his sights, like it’s the final piece to showing off when he’s done cementing his legacy. And to spice things up even more, Jack Della Maddalena isn’t just sitting around either. Word is, he’s already plotting revenge on the Dagestani.
Jack Della Maddalena plots revenge on Islam Makhachev in Perth
Jack Della Maddalena still has to get past Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, but that hasn’t stopped him from already thinking about a little payback, not even for himself, but for his countryman. See, Makhachev stopped Alexander Volkanovski’s second bid at the lightweight title with that nasty head kick KO at UFC 294.
Definitely, that loss hit the Aussie hard, but it also cut deep for ‘JDM’. The guy’s been carrying that one ever since. Now, he’s talking about stepping in and avenging ‘The Great’, if Makhachev ever faces him down the line. He also wants it to go down in Perth. The same place Islam edged out Volkanovski for the first time. Full circle moment, maybe?
During a podcast with the Grin Reapers, ‘JDM’ said, “That’d be nice… In Perth, bit of a story. Volk. That’d be nice. In Perth, bit of a story. Volk revenge. Get through Belal, and I think opportunities will present themselves.” Now, who doesn’t like a revenge story? But yeah, there are still a few questions hanging in the air. The biggest one? Can Islam Makhachev prove once again that he’s the undisputed king of the lightweights if he fights Topuria next? And if he does—how do you think he stacks up against Jack Della Maddalena?
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