Islam Makhachev is moving up a weight class at UFC 322 in the hopes of solidifying his legacy as a two-division champion. If he accomplishes that, his next goal is to take out one of the greatest welterweights
to ever compete in the UFC.
Makhachev will have to beat Jack Della Maddalena at Madison Square Garden this weekend (Nov. 15, 2025) before he can really start planning his title reign. But it’s clear that the protégé of Khabib Nurmagomedov has already thought about who he could defend his title against that would look best on his resume.
“After Jack, Kamaru,” Makhachev told Adin Ross on a Kick stream. “He has the most title defenses in the welterweight division, and now he’s in a good position.”
Usman currently sits in the No. 5 slot at welterweight despite having only fought once in the past two years (and going 1-3 over the past four years). That 2019 to 2022 run with five successful title defenses still resonates strongly, though, and it’s clear Makhachev wants that name for his record.
Which is exactly what Kamaru Usman was hoping to hear coming into UFC 322. Usman hasn’t fought since a June win over Joaquin Buckley, but feels he’s on the verge of getting a chance to win his former belt back.
“I have my eye on this weekend. We’ll see who comes out victorious,” Usman told MMA Junkie. “I’m sitting here looking at the winner like, ‘All right, let’s run it.’”
“I’m in a position now to where I want the biggest, most challenging fights out there,” he said. “Because I understand that I don’t have another 20 fights left in the company. Anything could happen, so if you can get that next one and it could be that fight, then that’s what I want.”
Like many top welterweights, Usman is hoping he can just sit tight and let a title fight fall into his lap. We’d rather see him win one more against someone in the top five, but the division barely moves these days. So if Makhachev wants to face Usman, Usman wants to face Makhachev, and that means another title fight less than six months after UFC 322? Sure. Whatever!
But first let’s see what Jack Della has to say about it.
