Islam Makhachev technically isn’t entering UFC 322 as a champion, but he still feels like one. Makhachev vacated his lightweight title earlier this year to move up for this opportunity, and while that means he’s not currently a UFC champion, Makhachev says that’s just a technicality. It's essential to understand the sequence of events that led to this decision, the factors that influenced it, and what Makhachev's future plans are.
On Saturday, Makhachev moves up to 170 pounds to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 322.
“I feel I’m still champion,” Makhachev said at the UFC 322 pre-fight press conference. “I don’t lose my belt to anyone. I’m just coming to get second one.”
The Path to Welterweight
After Della Maddalena beat Makhachev’s friend, Belal Muhammad, to win the welterweight title, that opened the door for him to make the jump - something he’s wanted to do for a long time. “This is my dream,” Makhachev said. “I’m very close to my dream. All my professional career, when I was lightweight champion, my dream was to become double champion. And two more days.”
Earlier this year, Makhachev set the record for most lightweight title defenses in UFC history with four straight after he stopped Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January. After that, there were rumors of a superfight with then-featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, but Makhachev wanted his own opportunity to move up and pursue a second belt.
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In the days leading up to UFC 315, photos of Campbell emerged from him visiting Makhachev's native Dagestan. It was widely believed that trip was made in effort to have Makhachev fight Topuria, but that was not the case.
"Everybody think he comes to make a fight with Topuria, but he was here, and we talked about fighting against whoever the winner is between Della Maddalena and Belal. He told me, 'I know Belal is your friend, but this is a sport. Shake hands, fight, after the fight it's respect, and that's it. See who is the best in the world.' We had a big discussion about that," Makhachev said. "I told him, 'Let's wait for the fight when Belal fight with Della Maddalena and we will see what we have to do.' Right after the fight in Los Angeles, Hunter came to my locker room and told me, 'Now is the good time, any day when you want to move up, you have the opportunity. Just tell us.'"
Makhachev announced on May 13, 2025, that he was vacating the title to move up to welterweight.
The Allure of Being a Double Champion
Should Makhachev win, he would become only the 11th two-division champion in UFC history (perhaps the 12th, if Zhang Weili defeats Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 322 co-main event beforehand), and tie Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive UFC wins at 16.
Makhachev, 33, admitted it would've been his preference to keep the lightweight title and, if only for one night, join Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, Conor McGregor, and Henry Cejudo as the only fighters in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously. That didn't happen, and although it's somewhat disappointing, Makhachev said it would've been unfair to the division to keep the belt hostage with no clear defense timeline.
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"I want to hold my belt from the lightweight, but it's not possible because if I fight with Della Maddalena in October or November," Makhachev said. "Then in February Ramadan is beginning, holding more than one year of the lightweight belt (without defending) is not what I want to do. It's not respectful to all those."
The Challenge Ahead
But to do it, he’s got to beat Della Maddalena, who is unbeaten in 18 straight fights and coming off the best performance of his career. But with a pair of wins over JDM’s friend Alexander Volkanovski, and a win over Volkanovski’s teammate Dan Hooker, Makhachev is brimming with confidence heading into Saturday.
“Australia, it’s a good place,” Makhachev said. “I was there. I like it.
Historical Context of UFC Weight Classes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, Mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classes. The original codification for weight classes introduced only two divisions: heavyweight, which grouped together all competitors above 200 pounds (91 kg), and lightweight, which encompassed all competitors 199 pounds (90 kg) and under. It would be nearly ten years before the UFC would expand their divisional offerings to include any of the lower weight classes.
The first additions came in late 2010 when the UFC merged with their sister organization World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). Due to the WEC's focus on lighter weight fighters, this merger necessitated the addition of both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions to the UFC, starting with The Ultimate Fighter season 12 finale.[7] In early 2012 the UFC decided they would delve even further into the lower weight classes when they announced the introduction of the flyweight division to their ranks, beginning with UFC on FX: Alves vs. In November 2012, as a result of the forthcoming dissolution of their sister organization Strikeforce, the UFC announced they would be adding female fighters to their roster for the first time in the promotion's history.
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Initially, only the women's bantamweight division was brought over, with the division's premiere bout taking place at UFC 157.[9] A little over a year later, the UFC announced they would be expanding their weight classes for female fighters with the addition of a women's strawweight division,[10] the first bout took place at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. In late 2016, a featherweight division was introduced for the women with the first bout to be for the inaugural championship at UFC 208 on February 11, 2017.
Potential Return to Lightweight
Makhachev said he he hopes his 170-pound title fight against Della Maddalena is booked for UFC's annual event in Madison Square Garden in November, which is a venue he has long wanted to compete in.
It's the current plan to capture the belt and defend it to even further enhance his legacy, but Makhachev said a return to lightweight to take back what was once his is something he will not rule out.
"Maybe (I'll return to lightweight)," Makhachev said. "We will see. If something interesting comes up, we will see.