UFC 322 marked the emphatic return of Islam Makhachev, who dominated Jack Della Maddalena throughout 5 suffocating rounds to assert two-division gold. Makhachev dismantled the Aussie with scientific precision, battering him with crisp mixtures and relentless calf kicks that left Della Maddalena compromised early. The harm to his lead leg grew so extreme that the Australian was compelled to change to orthodox, unable to bear weight on his proper leg, successfully neutralizing the trademark southpaw weapons that carried him to the title.
Getting into what many described because the hardest camp of his profession forward of his welterweight debut, the 34-year-old delivered a masterclass. He earned a lopsided unanimous choice (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to safe the 170lbs crown and cement his standing as one of many sport’s all-time greats.
Islam Makhachev Units Sights on UFC’s White Home Occasion for His Subsequent Battle
As soon as the struggle hit the canvas, Makhachev’s signature high strain and ruthless ground-and-pound took over, as he amassed greater than 18 minutes of management time. With the victory, he turned simply the eleventh double champion in UFC historical past and the primary Russian to realize the feat.
Competing below the brilliant lights of Madison Sq. Backyard, Makhachev additionally tied Anderson Silva’s legendary 16-fight UFC win streak, the longest in firm historical past, whereas concurrently ending Della Maddalena’s 18-fight surge. Remarkably, he has now halted three large streaks in a row, beforehand snapping Charles Oliveira’s 11-fight run and Alexander Volkanovski’s 22-fight tear.
After the win, the Dagestani spoke proudly about attaining two-division glory. Regardless of providing Makhachev the most important dimension drawback of his profession, Della Maddalena’s further inch of top had no impression as soon as the cage door closed.
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Every spherical adopted a dominant sample: Makhachev utilized early strain, absorbed or averted Della Maddalena’s determined counter makes an attempt, after which secured a robust slam that left the Australian staring up on the MSG jumbotron till the horn.
Sarcastically, the stand-up exchanges, the place Della Maddalena was anticipated to pose the best risk, have been the moments the place he discovered the least success. In Spherical 3, Makhachev even got here near touchdown the identical hook-to-head-kick mixture that knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in 2023.
The unanimous choice marked simply the second time on this decade {that a} Makhachev struggle didn’t finish by way of knockout or submission. After the struggle, Makhachev summed up his feelings throughout his interview with Joe Rogan, saying, “That is the dream. I’m so blissful and I prefer it. I labored exhausting for this second.”
He added, “All my opponents know this, and no person can cease it.” The Dagestani additional emphasised how life-changing the transfer to welterweight has been for him, now not burdened by the brutal weight minimize to 155 kilos. He added, “I swear to God, my life has modified. No minimize weight, and I can do no matter I would like over 5 rounds. I made this struggle look really easy.”
The Dagestani star closed with a robust message about the place he needs to compete subsequent—on the historic June 2026 UFC White Home card. He concluded with, “Open the White Home, I’m coming.”
Whereas Makhachev claimed welterweight gold in dominant trend, the division is shortly forming a brand new line of challengers. Rising contenders Michael Morales and Carlos Prates each recorded knockout victories on the identical night time, injecting contemporary intrigue into the title image.
In the meantime, the looming potential title eliminator between Belal Muhammad and Ian Garry guarantees much more complexity atop the 170-pound panorama.
