Islam Makhachev wants to move up to the welterweight division, which is probably why the reigning lightweight titleholder has kept this potential title fight on ice. Fortunately for Makhachev, Jack Della Maddalena will welcome him with open arms.
Right after he defeats current champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal.
“That would be nice,” Maddalena said on the Grin Reapers YouTube channel. “In Perth! That would be a bit of a story, Volk [revenge]. We’ll see. Anything’s possible. We get through Belal, and then I think, yeah, I guess opportunities will present themselves.”
Makhachev holds two wins over featherweight titleholder Alex Volkanovski. After narrowly defeating “The Great” atop the UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Perth, Makhachev flatlined the Aussie with a thunderous knockout at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
“In my opinion, maybe Australia’s — obviously, I’m a bit biased, but Australia’s greatest athlete,” Maddalena said about Volkanovski. “You’d have to put him up there. Maybe if he didn’t win this one, you wouldn’t put him in that list, but after winning this one, you have to put him in the conversation.”
Volkanovski recaptured his featherweight crown by defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in Miami.
