How much weight did Islam Makhachev have to cut to make 170 pounds at UFC 322? No numbers have been released, but it wasn’t easy.
Despite moving up a weight class from lightweight to welterweight, Makhachev still looked drawn out and exhausted when he stepped on the scales this morning for the official UFC 322 weigh-ins. He hit the mark at 170 pounds exactly — championship weight. His opponent Jack Della Maddalena pulled out the modesty box and actually weighed a little less: 169.8 without his shorts.
There’s been a lot of talk about the size difference Makhachev would be facing coming into New York City, but the two fighters seem pretty similar. And according to UFC PI nutritionist Charles Stull, Makhachev bulked up enough over the past several months that making 170 wasn’t a cakewalk.
“He still has weight to cut, absolutely,” Stull said during a new Anatomy of a Fighter video. “As a percentage of his body mass, and it comes down to percentage, not just sheer pounds or kilos, it’s percentage, the percentage he’s cutting is a lot more repeatable and doable at welterweight. But it’s still a significant cut.”
Anatomy of UFC 322 captures Makhachev’s Thursday as he was deep in the process of cutting weight. As a new arrival at 170 pounds, he admitted he was shocked to see how easily some other welterweights were making weight — welterweights like Carlos Prates, who faces Leon Edwards on the UFC 322 undercard.
“Today I saw Carlos Prates, he eat Nutella cake during lunch time on fight week,” Makhachev said. “It’s something I never do, you know? And I understand: I’m bigger than this guy. I don’t touch anything other than what the nutrition team gives me and I still have to cut much.”
We know Islam reveres Khabib and tries to emulate his coach’s career, but he definitely doesn’t need a tiramisu moment.
For more UFC 322: “Jack Della vs. Islam Makhachev” event-related news, video highlights and more click here.
