Islam Makhachev aims for second UFC title in New York

The UFC is erstwhile again preparing a large lawsuit astatine Madison Square Garden, and galore are wondering if the experienced combatant from Dagestan tin execute different feat. This Saturday, the 32-year-old moves up to welterweight to combat Jack Delle Maddalena for the UFC 322 main lawsuit belt. He vacated his lightweight rubric earlier this year, but helium insists that doesn’t bespeak connected his authorities of mind.

The formidable combatant simply said; “I inactive consciousness similar a champion.” And past added; “I’m not losing my rubric to anyone. I’m conscionable coming for different one.”

This year, the awesome Dagestani has breached the grounds for the astir palmy lightweight defenses, with 4 successful a row, including a stoppage of Renato Moicano astatine UFC 311 successful January. Later, determination were talks of a imaginable bout with Ilya Topuria, the past featherweight champion, but the 32-year-old wanted to instrumentality the accidental to effort his manus successful a caller part and effort to assertion different large belt.

Islam Makhachev reacts

After Della Maddalena defeated his person Belal Muhammad and took the welterweight title, abstraction opened for this lucifer to go a reality. It is evident that this is the fulfillment of a long-standing privation for a Dagestani; “This is my dream,” helium said; "I'm precise adjacent to my dream. My full nonrecreational career, erstwhile I was a lightweight champion, my imagination was to go a two-time champion. And present it's conscionable a substance of hours."

Should the 32-year-old instrumentality the title, helium would go the eleventh combatant successful UFC past with 2 antithetic crowns. He could adjacent drawback Anderson Silva's 16-game winning streak. Still, helium says helium doesn't interest astir it; “Oh, I don't know, man,” helium pointed out; "I'm not reasoning astir that close now. I'm reasoning astir the title."

He faces a hard challenge, arsenic the hostile has a streak of 18 victories. But the combatant from Dagestan seems calm; “Australia, that's a bully place,” helium said; "I've been there. I emotion it. It's 3-0 now, and I'm going to marque it 4."