Athletes
Islam Makhachev | Same Talent, New Energy
Former Lightweight Champ Playful Ahead Of Welterweight Title Fight At MSG
By most objective measures, Islam Makhachev is the greatest lightweight in UFC history, having amassed the most title fight victories (five), consecutive successful title defenses (four), and consecutive wins (14) of anyone to ever grace the 155-pound division. That’s one more title fight win and successful title defense than his teammate-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, who passed the torch to Makhachev following the passing of his father and his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
Now here’s the crazy part: the 34-year-old standout from Dagestan may have done all of that while not competing at full strength, which is why this summer, after two-and-a-half years atop the division, Makhachev relinquished the lightweight title and took aim at becoming a two-division champion.
VeCHAIN UFC 322: Get Free Presser + Weigh-Ins Tickets
Saturday night, in the main event of VeChain UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Makhachev gets his opportunity, as he faces off with newly minted titleholder Jack Della Maddalena.
Islam Makhachev | Best Finishes
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Islam Makhachev | Best Finishes
/
“I did all my job in lightweight division,” he said on Tuesday when asked why this was the right time for him to vacate the title and pursue welterweight gold. “I defend the belt more than everybody, and now is the best time to fight in Madison Square Garden, main event.
“If you ask me where I want to fight for the second belt, I think this is the best place,” Makhachev added with a smirk. “Maybe next year, UFC opens one more good place — White House — but right now, Madison Square Garden is the best place to be double champ.”
Preview Saturday's Fight Card Here
Makhachev’s decision to change divisions came as part of a string of events that all took place within a few months of each other earlier this year; a mix of unexpected shifts and unsurprising moves culminating in two divisions looking very different (and one looking oddly familiar) as we head towards the end of the year.
First, Ilia Topuria opted to vacate the featherweight title after having won the belt from Alexander Volkanovski and successfully defended it against Max Holloway last year. “El Matador” was ready to move up and challenge Makhachev for the lightweight strap, but the Russian superstar, whose dominance has been questioned by those pointing to two fights with Volkanovski, wasn’t overly excited about the prospects of facing another fighter known for their success in the 145-pound weight class.
Not long after, things at the top of the welterweight division were realigned, as Della Maddalena slid into an opening opposite champ Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 when Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to compete. Immediately, Makhachev stated his desire to face the Australian should he dethrone Muhammad, a friend and occasional training partner that the former lightweight ruler wasn’t interested in unseating.
COMPLETE FIGHT WEEK GUIDE: VeChain UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev
In April, Volkanovski claimed the featherweight title left vacant by Topuria, beginning his second reign. A month later, Della Maddalena outworked Muhammad, becoming the third Australian and third Dana White’s Contender Series alum to win UFC gold, and six weeks hence, Topuria ascended to the top of the lightweight ranks by knocking out former champ Charles Oliveira.
And Makhachev’s new goal was officially established: win the UFC welterweight title.
“How many UFC champions (have there been)?” Makhachev asked rhetorically in response to a query about why becoming a two-division champion is such an important achievement for him.
Islam Makhachev Origins | UFC Connected
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Islam Makhachev Origins | UFC Connected
/
“Many; many many,” he said, answering his own question, “but just (eight or nine) people that take a second belt, and they’re all going to be (remembered) in history.”
To date, 10 athletes have held UFC gold in two weight classes — Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, Henry Cejudo, Georges St-Pierre, Alex Pereira, and Jon Jones — with both Makhachev and former two-time strawweight champion Zhang Weili trying to join the exclusive group this weekend at MSG; Zhang faces Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title in Saturday’s co-main event.
WATCH: VeChain UFC 322 Embedded
“I want to do something more than just become champion; to be double champ. I think it’s the dream for everybody.”
In order to accomplish his mission, Makhachev has spent the majority of the year working to reconstruct his body for the challenge of moving up a division because it’s not as simply as eating a little more and then cutting less weight.
He dedicated an entire training camp to lifting weights and putting on mass, noting that it’s genuinely difficult to gain weight when you train as doggedly as he does each and every day. Once his body was rebuilt, the welterweight title challenger went into another camp, where he spent his time training with big guys.
The result is a happier, more energetic Makhachev who is actually enjoying the opening days of Fight Week for the first time.
FREE FIGHTS: Makhachev vs Moicano | JDM vs Roberts
“I smile all week,” he said when asked how different he feels heading into his first UFC appearance in the 170-pound weight class. “Before I remember Monday and Tuesday is no energy, always thinking, ‘Where you gonna eat? How much you gonna eat? What is your weight?’ but not now.
“I feel much different. All training camp, I enjoyed my camp, training with the big guys, and I feel more energy. Also, I can wrestle with Khabib now, because he is also very big.”
A quick smirk scurried across his face after poking fun at his longtime friend, but the playful and willingness to engage in an interview is a much different presentation than recent weeks when he arrived as the lightweight titleholder.
Full Fight | Islam Makhachev vs Renato Moicano
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Full Fight | Islam Makhachev vs Renato Moicano
/
That’s not a knock on Makhachev either — his focus has always been on winning, on successfully defending his title, and his training and the weight cuts needed to make the 155-pound championship limit were daunting, leaving him drained.
So far this week, he’s been active in front of the camera, flashing his personality as he’s taken little digs at his coach and some friends, all while being quick to praise the man he’ll stand across from this weekend.
VECHAIN UFC 322 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Della Maddalena vs Makhachev | Shevchenko vs Zhang
“His striking; his boxing is very good,” he said when asked to identify the champion’s greatest weapon. “All camp, I’m training with strikers who can box very well, strike like him.
“Jack is a very good opponent — tough guy who has good striking, good wrestling defense, and I believe it’s gonna be good fight for the fans. I’m ready and I know he’s ready also; he prepared himself the last couple months very hard, and it’s gonna be a good fight.”
Having spent the last several months readying for this attempt at becoming a two-division champion, Makhachev was asked what additional goals he has in mind should things go according to plan on Saturday night.
“Win the second belt, defend it, maybe more than Kamaru,” he said, smiling, taking a little jab at former champ Kamaru Usman, adding, “and to become Hall of Fame. That’s it.”
Usman successfully defended the welterweight title five times, and Makhachev is sure to be enshrined once he retires, regardless of how things unfold against Della Maddalena.
But if Makhachev is successful and does join the exclusive collection of athletes to hold championships in two different weight classes, we won’t just be talking about the UFC Hall of Fame; instead, the conversations will center on where he falls in the pantheon of all-time greats.
“I’m gonna be close,” he said when presented with the question of where he would rank. “But I don’t want to speak about that. Saturday night, I have a hard fight.”
He paused and smiled.
“We’ll talk after.”
VeChain UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev took place live from Madison Square Garden Arena in New York, New York on November 15, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!