The second of the tandem “Champion vs Champion” clashes at UFC 322 sees new welterweight ruler Jack Della Maddalena defend his title for the first time against longtime lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, as the Russian looks to add his name to the exclusive list of competitors to win UFC gold in two weight classes.
Shuffled into a championship fight with Belal Muhammad in May, Della Maddalena made the most of his opportunity, seizing the title with a unanimous decision win in Montreal that pushed his record to 8-0 in the UFC and extended his winning streak to 18 overall. The Perth man doesn’t wow you with any one skill or attribute, but is so rock solid in every phase, every facet of the game that he’s an absolute menace to contend with inside the Octagon, and his confidence is sure to have only grown since claiming gold as well.
UFC 321 POST-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Mackenzie Dern | Umar Nurmagomedov | Alexander Volkov | Azamat Murzakanov | Quillan Salkilld
Following Della Maddalena’s win, Makhachev announced his intention to move up a division to challenge for the lightweight title, having cemented himself as the greatest UFC lightweight champion in history with a record-breaking fourth successful title defense in January at UFC 311. The 34-year-old standout has won 15 straight, leaving him one shy of equalling Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive victories in UFC history, and winning a second title would be an incredible way to equal the mark.
Strange as this may sound, this feels like the fight where folks are going to finally realize just how good Della Maddalena is because it’s already firmly established that Makhachaev is a pantheon-level talent. Skill-wise, there is no questioning that the former lightweight titleholder has the chops to compete with anyone, but it will be interesting to see how the move 15 pounds up the scale impacts things come fight night.
