Islam Makhachev brushed off Ilia Topuria overtaking him as the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, calling it a marketing tactic to build interest in a future fight. Speaking to UFC Eurasia in Abu Dhabi, Makhachev also revealed his welterweight title fight against Jack Della Maddalena is almost finalized for November 2025.
Makhachev Talks Rankings and Next Fight
Topuria jumped Makhachev in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings after knocking out Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317. Makhachev, who held the top spot for over 600 days, downplayed the change.
“Well, it’s marketing,” Makhachev said. “They do it on purpose to hype up this fight that people were already interested in. This means they’re doing the right thing. We will fight for first place.”
Makhachev vacated his lightweight title in May 2025 to challenge welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena. He confirmed the fight is nearly set.
“Well, we already have 90 percent of the agreement,” Makhachev said. “Probably in November.”
The bout is expected to headline UFC’s annual event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The rankings shift came after Topuria’s knockout of Oliveira, making him a two-division champion. Makhachev focuses on his welterweight goal but is open to facing Topuria later.
Islam Makhachev, a 33-year-old from Dagestan, Russia, has a 27-1 MMA record, with 16-1 in the UFC. He won the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in 2022 and defended it four times, a UFC record, against Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Dustin Poirier, and Arman Tsarukyan, per Tapology. Trained by Khabib Nurmagomedov at Eagles MMA, Makhachev vacated his title in May 2025 to pursue welterweight gold after Belal Muhammad lost to Della Maddalena at UFC 315. He aims to join the short list of two-division UFC champions.
Jack Della Maddalena, a 29-year-old from Perth, Australia, has a 17-2 MMA record, with 7-0 in the UFC. He won the welterweight title by beating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May 2025. Known for crisp striking, Della Maddalena has knockouts over Pete Rodriguez, Danny Roberts, and Kevin Holland. Training at Scrappy MMA, he faces a tough test against Makhachev’s elite grappling.
Makhachev’s welterweight title fight against Della Maddalena is likely for UFC 322 in November 2025 in New York City. Topuria may defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan or Justin Gaethje. A win for Makhachev could set up a huge fight with Topuria in 2026.
