Islam Makhachev is signing up for a superfight. Simply not the one many have been anticipating.
UFC CEO Dana White introduced Tuesday that the lightweight champion is vacating his belt to leap as much as the 170-pound division to face newly topped welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena.
The transfer was rumored for months, with Makhachev eager to chase a second title, however not on the expense of shut pal Belal Muhammad. That grew to become a non-issue this previous Saturday when Muhammad misplaced the welterweight title to Della Maddalena, clearing the trail for Makhachev, who is about to battle Della Maddalena at a date and site nonetheless to be decided.
Whereas the matchup might enable for Makhachev so as to add to his pound-for-pound legacy or for Della Maddalena to achieve a brand new stage of stardom, not everyone seems to be thrilled that Makhachev is departing the light-weight division. Undefeated featherweight champion Ilia Topuria vacated his title this previous February in pursuit of glory at 155 kilos, and battle followers have been abruptly this near seeing arguably the 2 finest fighters on this planet face off.
As an alternative, Makhachev fights Della Maddalena, and Topuria now meets Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 on June 28 for a vacant lightweight title.
Take a look at reactions to the 2 matchups under.
