The UFC lightweight division just got a new ruler, but Islam Makhachev and his team are already looking elsewhere for their next big challenge. Ilia Topuria’s devastating first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 sent shockwaves through the MMA world and officially crowned a new champion at 155 pounds! And in the midst of it, Makhachev’s camp seems more interested in bigger fish swimming in deeper waters.<\/p>
The former lightweight champion has been busy making his own moves lately. He vacated his title to chase gold in the welterweight division. Makhachev has been eyeing a move up for months, and the timing worked out perfectly when Jack Della Maddalena shocked the world by defeating Belal Muhammad for the 170-pound belt at UFC<\/a> 315. Now both fighters are positioned for what could be one of the biggest title fights of the year, with legacy implications that go far beyond just adding another belt to the collection.<\/p> Javier Mendez, the legendary coach who has guided Makhachev’s career, recently dropped some interesting thoughts about potential matchups for his star pupil. When asked about a possible fight with Topuria, Mendez acknowledged the Georgian’s incredible boxing skills but pointed to Jack Della Maddalena as a much tougher puzzle to solve.<\/p> “Maddalena is the tougher one because of number one, the size. Number two, he’s good everywhere. If it was just boxing, then we don’t have to worry as much because Maddalena’s boxing is not as good as Topuria’s but overall, his kicking, his knees, his overall game is very good.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>Javier Mendez Gives His Take On Islam Makhachev’s Toughest Test<\/h2>