Islam
Makhachev won’t be a simultaneous two-division champion after
all.
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UFC CEO Dana White announced on Tuesday that Makhachev will
vacate the lightweight crown and face reigning welterweight king
Jack
Della Maddalena at a future event. The date for that fight was
not revealed.
Della Maddalena claimed the welterweight title with a unanimous
decision victory over Belal
Muhammad at UFC 315
this past Saturday. That cleared the way for Makhachev to move up a
division, because the Dagestani standout didn’t want to fight for
the title if Muhammad — a friend and training partner — still held
the belt.
Makhachev has won his last 15 UFC appearances, a streak that
includes four successful lightweight title defenses. He last
competed at UFC 311, where he scored a first-round submission win
over Renato
Carneiro.
Della Maddalena has won 18 consecutive professional outings —
including his first eight Octagon appearances. The Aussie was able
to capitalize on his championship opportunity when Shavkat
Rakhmonov was unable to face Muhammad at UFC 315 due to injury.