Islam Makhachev becomes the 11th UFC fighter to hold titles in 2 divisions

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Islam Makhachev joined an elite MMA club after becoming the 11th fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to hold belts in two different divisions.

On Nov. 16, 2025, the Russian grappler dethroned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, banking on his superb ground game, which resulted in a one-sided unanimous decision win during the main event of UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden.

The decision to vacate his UFC lightweight title to jump to welterweight quickly turned from a questionable move to a legacy-defining pivot. Despite the critics longing for him to stay in the weight class he previously dominated, Makhachev once again showed the world that he is ready to enter the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation with his recent feat.

From the get-go, the reigning welterweight king stood no chance in breaking free from Makhachev’s precise grappling, immediately putting in the work with several leg locks that put Maddalena in a stranded position on the canvas.

To set up his takedowns, Makhachev targeted Maddalena’s lead leg, which prevented him from maintaining his hounding pressure moving forward.

When Makhachev landed three brutal leg kicks, Maddalena switched stance and turned into a passive defensive fighter, which the newly crowned champion capitalized on.

All of a sudden, Makhachev was on top of Maddalena in the final 2:44 of the opening round, shifting a stand-up slugfest into a ground-oriented clash.

Makhachev benefited from the change of scenery as Maddalena didn’t know what to do, especially during his time on the ground, where he nearly tapped out if not for a sprawl-out roll midway through the third.

No matter how Maddalena tried to force Makhachev off the ground, the Russian submission artist just proved to be too much and leaned on his upper body strength to pin the Australian MMA artist beside the cage.

The fifth and final round looked like a sparring practice for Makhachev as he toyed with Maddalena in the final 45 seconds of the fight, raising his arms as he neared victory with the loud chants inside the arena.

All three ringside official judges scored the bout in favor of Makhachev, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45, while improving to an impressive MMA record of 28 wins, 13 submissions, and one loss.

“This is the dream all my life,” Makhachev said after the win.

“I’m so happy and I like it. I worked hard for this moment. No cut weight and I can do whatever I want over five rounds. I made this fight look so easy.”