While Islam Makhachev is determined to win a second UFC title, it seems he would never dare try to move up to the middle level to attempt a third belt.
The former pound-for-pound king is set to take on reigning welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena on November 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A victory against the Australian will make him the 11th fighter to win a championship in two weight divisions.
Makhachev’s move to welterweight, however, was not without its problems. After vacating the lightweight title earlier this year and committing to bulking up, he quickly realized that after years as a 155-pounder, he was having trouble putting on size.
The Dagestani is now largely happy with his form, with less than two weeks left for the fight. However, the task of gaining weight seems to have dissuaded him from going through the ordeal again.
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Speaking to Match TV, the sambo maestro said he was happy to “become and remain” a two-division champion. Addressing a possible future attempt at a third title, Makhachev said:
“I dream of becoming and remaining a double champion, of going down in history as someone who won two belts. (A third belt)? I can’t eat that much anymore.” (H/t: @ChampRDS on X)
According to FanDuel, Makhachev is a -290 favorite for the match, with Maddalena as a +215 underdog.
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments on a possible middleweight move below:
Islam Makhachev shares hilarious UFC 322 camp update with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s presence at Islam Makhachev’s training camp in New York will undoubtedly boost morale. However, it seems Makhachev was enjoying life at the gym more while his mentor and friend was away.
In footage currently circulating on social media, Makhachev can be heard making a sly joke about “The Eagle”:
“Everything was fine until you arrived two days ago.”
The 34-year-old then explained how his current fight camp is different from the lightweight one:
“(Training partner Mukhamed) Berkhamov weighs 91 kilos. Before, I worked with a guy who weighed 84, 83 at most… I don’t even think about losing weight, life has changed. Before, I always thought about where to have dinner, what to eat. Now it doesn’t matter where we eat.” (H/t: MMA Squad on YouTube) (0:23 seconds in video)
Edited by Ujwal Jain
