Islam Makhachev may have his hands full in a welterweight fight vs. Jack Della Maddalena.
The UFC Lightweight Champion and pound-for-pound #1 fighter on the planet has been thinking about a move to welterweight for a while and now that his friend Belal Muhammad is off the throne, it’s time for him to finally swoop in.
In the aftermath of UFC 315, Islam Makhachev will more than likely face new welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena next after vacating his belt on Tuesday.
Makhachev is one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA today with title wins over current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former featherweights Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.
While he’s the best in the world at lightweight, one former UFC title challenger questions how Makhachev’s power will translate against sizable opponents at 170lbs.
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Kenny Florian doesn’t think Islam Makhachev will withstand Jack Della Maddalena’s power
UFC veteran and analyst Kenny Florian knows a thing or two about fighting in different weight classes.
Florian fought and lost to BJ Penn for the lightweight belt in 2009, and to Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt in 2011. Florian’s teammate Aiemann Zahabi got revenge for him years later at UFC 315.
An alum of the premier season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in 2005, Florian fought at middleweight as well as welterweight in his UFC career.
Speaking on Makhachev’s welterweight move against a heavy-handed boxer in Della Maddalena:
“Based on his grappling and well roundedness and experience, I think that he could definitely pose some problems for JDM,” Florian said of Makhachev on the Anik & Florian Podcast.
“However, I would say this—I don’t think he could dole out the same level of power as some of the 170lbers, and I also don’t think he can take [or] withstand the same kind of shots.
“I have a hard time believing that there’s any 155er in the world that could take the same kind of shots that Belal Muhammad took in that fight on Saturday night. Belal has a legendary chin at this point.
“There was a series of three right hands. I have chills thinking about it that Belal ate [it], and he kept coming forward. I was just thinking, how the hell did he take one of those, let alone three? I don’t see any lightweight in the world taking those shots.
Florian continued.
“I can’t stress this enough. Every pound matters in this sport…
“There’s a 15 pound difference between 155 and 170, not 10 pounds, and that matters for a lot,” Florian said.
How have other lightweight stars performed at welterweight?
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of lightweights move up to the welterweight division, where some have found success.
For instance, former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos changed weight classes and won his first three fights at welterweight against perennial contenders and a former champion in Robbie Lawler.
This weekend’s headliner Gilbert Burns was a lightweight who really made a name for himself in the welterweight division where he won four fights in a row to enter title contention vs. all-time great Kamaru Usman.
Former lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee also moved up to welterweight but didn’t have any luck. Lee went 0-3 in welterweight appearances.
Of course, Makhachev is at a higher level than these fighters and time will tell how he will deal with the power of Jack Della Maddalena.