Makhachev was favored to claim his second UFC belt ahead of the event, but few could have predicted quite how dominantly he would handle Della Maddalena<\/a> over the course of five rounds to take get his hand raised at Madison Square Garden. <\/p>\n Jack Della Maddalena Addresses Fans After Losing UFC Title<\/p>\n After taking a few days to process things in the immediate aftermath of UFC 322, Della Maddalena took to Instagram<\/a> to share a brief message with fans and praise both Makhachev\u2019s performance and his overall place in MMA history. <\/p>\n “Thanks to those always supporting. Islam is one of the greats and deserved to win. I wil learn and moved forward.<\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC reportedly kicks off new Paramount deal with banger first fight of 2026 <\/a><\/p>\n A contract winner on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series in 2021, Della Maddalena was undefeated in the UFC heading into UFC 322. The Australian famously dropped his first two pro bouts in 2016 before putting together a staggering 18-fight win streak, which was capped off by a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 to claim the welterweight belt. <\/p>\n Who Will Fight Islam Makhachev Next?<\/p>\n Undefeated outside of a knockout-loss to Adriano Martins in his second UFC outing in 2015, Makhachev has now won 16 fights in a row and has competed in six-straight title bouts dating back to 2021. <\/p>\n Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) fights Jack Della Maddalena (red gloves) in the welterweight championship bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The 34-year-old defended the UFC lightweight title four times after stopping Charles Oliveira to win the vacant belt at UFC 280. His lightweight title run included back-to-back wins over featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski before he defeated former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, who received a short-notice title shot at UFC 311 after Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from his rematch with Makhachev on weigh-in day. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Ex-UFC champion booked to defend boxing title after ending historic losing streak<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortage of challengers for Makhachev in his new weight class, as the UFC 322 main card also saw top welterweight contenders Michael Morales and Carlos Prates score stunning knockout-wins<\/a> over Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards. <\/p>\n Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Jack Della Maddalena (not pictured) by unanimous decision in the welterweight championship bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Two other top 170 lbs. fighters will also be in action this weekend, as former divisional king Muhammad is set to return and face Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event of UFC Qatar<\/a>. <\/p>\n More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n \u2022 UFC\u2019s hottest knockout machine teases announcement for next fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 MMA legend Amanda Nunes plots historic triple-champ bid after UFC return fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Tracy Cortez shares defiant first statement after UFC 322 loss to Erin Blanchfield<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Islam Makhachev retakes UFC\u2019s P4P crown from Ilia Topuria after UFC 322 masterclass<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Islam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/01kah6gde77t934m75t0.jpg\" "\\"Islam")
<\/p>\n![\"Islam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/01kah6hpt7ycmy05c1cc.jpg\" "\\"Islam")
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