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Pound-For-Pound King Islam Makhachev Aims To Become Two-Division UFC Champion In Next Fight vs Jack Della Maddalena 3u563z
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The Islam Makhachev next fight is a hot topic of conversation, with the dominant UFC Lightweight Champion officially moving up in weight in an attempt to become a two-division UFC king.
Makhachev will take on new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later this year, with a date and venue to be announced in due course.
Islam Makhachev Next Fight: P4P King Faces Jack Della Maddalena For UFC Welterweight Title 5x1l4n
Islam Makhachev is one of the greatest MMA fighters on the planet right now. The former UFC Lightweight Champion was an unbeatable force at 155-pounds, following on the Dagestani dominance of the UFC lightweight division after Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev’s record is an impressive 27-1, which consists of five knockout victories, 13 submissions and nine decision wins. The 33-year-old is also widely regarded as the current pound-for-pound UFC king, alongside the likes of Merab Dvalishvili and Jon Jones.
UFC fans last saw the Dagestani fighter in action at UFC 311 in January, where he defeated late replacement Renato Moicano by Round 1 submission to retain his UFC Lightweight Title for the fourth successive fight. Makhachev won the belt back in October 2022 and has since defended it on four occasions.
After defending his 155-pound belt four times, it was officially announced that Islam Makhachev’s next fight will be up at 170-pounds for the UFC Welterweight Title.
Makhachev, who’s net worth is around £5m now, will take on the welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. A date and location is yet to be confirmed, with the bout rumoured to go down in the late summer, perhaps at UFC 319 or 320.
This is undoubtedly a tricky contest for Makhachev, with ‘JDM’ looking sensational last time out in his win over Belal Muhammad. If Makhachev is to become a two-weight UFC king, he will have to be at his very best to beat the Australian.
That being said, Islam Makhachev’s next fight is one he will be the favourite in. As Makhachev’s stats show, he was a near unbeatable force at 155-pounds and could well continue that trend up at welterweight too.
Who Could Islam Makhachev Fight Next After The ‘JDM’ Clash? 4a3w1b
Provided the Islam Makhachev next fight results in victory for the Dagestani MMA phenom, he has plenty more options going forward in the welterweight division.
If he is to win the UFC Welterweight Title and beat Jack Della Maddalena, then there will be a whole host of challengers looking for a shot at him. These fighters include the likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Morales and Ian Machado Garry to name but a few.
With Makhachev being new to the 170-pound division, he has an entire roster of ranked fighters who will be chasing the super-fight against him. Particularly if he beats ‘JDM’ to become the new king of the 170-pound division.
UFC President Dana White will be excited to see Islam Makhachev back inside the octagon too, having not fought since UFC 311. He remains one of the biggest draws in the UFC, as well as being the most dominant champion on the entire UFC roster before moving up to welterweight.
As well as being an elite fighter, Makhachev is also one of the most followed UFC fighters in the world, with over 9.4 million Instagram followers. This makes him the third most popular UFC fighter behind just Conor McGregor and Jon Jones as of today.
Other fights that could make sense for Makhachev are of course the super-fight against the undefeated Ilia Topuria. If ‘El Matador’ defeats Charles Oliveira to win the vacant UFC Lightweight Title, then Ilia Topuria’s next fight after that could well be against Makhachev.
All of this is irrelevant unless Islam Makhachev wins his next fight later this year against Jack Della Maddalena. If he does, he will the elite list of two-division UFC champions, as well as further solidifying his place at the top of the current UFC pound-for-pound rankings.