Islam Makhachev vacated his lightweight title and will challenge welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena for the 170-pound strap atop the upcoming UFC 322 pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for Sat., Nov. 15, 2025
inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
What may come as news to fanboys of Della Maddalena is that Makhachev is just as comfortable on the feet as he is on the ground, even with an offensive rate of more than three takedowns per contest, dismissing the idea
that Belal Muhammad served as the “perfect warm-up fight” at UFC 315.
“I hope he goes in believing that, because when he gets in there with Islam, he’s going to find out a whole different story,” Makhachev’s head coach, Javier Mendez, told Submission Radio. “Because I’m sorry, but they’re completely different, and by no means is Islam easy for anybody in the standup. Any MMA fighter that’s a striker is not going to have an easy time with him.”
Makhachev (27-1) has just three knockout wins over the last decade.
“I’ve been with this kid going on 11 years, watching him destroy just everybody in the standup,” Mendez continued. “Guys that are much better standup than him, and he still destroys them. Don’t go by what you see. When you’re in there with that man, it’s a whole different ball game.”
To see who else is fighting at UFC 322 in New York click here.
