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Andreas Hell
Islam MakhachevHis quest to become a two-division champion came to an end Saturday night when he choked Jack Della Maddalena Over five rounds to capture the welterweight championship with a unanimous decision victory during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
All three judges scored the fight 50-45 for Makhachev.
Makhachev (28-1) tied anderson silvaShe added a remarkable decade-long undefeated run by scoring a UFC record 16th consecutive victory, scoring 19 minutes, 10 seconds of control time against Della Maddalena.
“This is the dream,” said Makhachev. “I’ve fought for this my whole life. I’ve worked hard for this moment.”
It was a suffocating performance from Makhachev, who mixed shin kicks and head strikes with his brilliant fightback to subdue Della Maddalena, who came into the fight with determination. However, by the middle rounds, that upset had turned into defeat.
Della Maddalena (18-3) had not lost since losing his first two pro MMA fights in 2016 and won the welterweight title Belal Muhammad In May. But Della Maddalena had nothing on Makhachev, who secured every takedown he pursued and kept the Australian fighter’s back on the canvas for long periods.
Although Makhachev was the betting favorite, there were concerns that Della Maddalena’s size and boxing would present some challenges. Those concerns were allayed just seconds into the fight when Makhachev shut down Della Maddalena’s aggressive charge with a takedown and pinned the champion’s back to the canvas.
“My life has changed,” Makhachev said of moving from lightweight to welterweight. “I didn’t need to lose weight. I can do whatever I want. It made this night easier.”
This was actually easy, as Makhachev controlled every aspect of the fight. The Russian fighter defeated Della Maddalena 123-32 using a healthy diet of calf kicks that left the champion staggered. Makhachev’s top control was too much for Della Maddalena, who spent the greater part of the fight trying to stay on her feet and avoid getting caught in a submission.
Della Maddalena may have been resigned to defeat in the third round, but he refused to let Makhachev finish him off. Nevertheless, Makhachev took his path.
Makhachev said, “This was my plan and it is not a secret.” “All my opponents know this, but no one can stop it.”
After staking his claim as possibly the greatest lightweight in UFC history, Makhachev will begin a new run in a welterweight division filled with dynamic fighters. Earlier in the night, carlos prates And michael morales Scored a devastating finish to stake his claim as the next title contender, stopping Prates leon edwards And Morales is taking over sean brady,
But the fight everyone is waiting for is the clash between Makhachev and the current UFC lightweight champion Ilya TopuriaTopuria took aim at Makhachev immediately after Saturday’s win, expressing confidence he can finish one of the best fighters in the world,
“You are the most boring thing in this game,” Topuria wrote on X. “Every day I become more certain that I put you to sleep.”
Although Makhachev did not call for a fight with Topuria until later, he has called his shots on 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.”
