Makhachev dominates Della Maddalena to win UFC welterweight belt

Makhachev makes light of stepping up a weight class to beat Della Maddalena by unanimous decision.

Islam Makhachev out-classed Jack Della Maddalena in a five-round beat-down to claim a unanimous decision victory and win the UFC welterweight championship at Madison Square Garden, with Valentina Shevchenko retaining her flyweight title in the co-main event. Makhachev made light of stepping up a weight class after relinquishing the lightweight crown to chase a new challenge, utterly dominating his Australian opponent for 25 minutes with his smothering grappling to claim his 16th UFC victory in a row on Saturday night.

The 34-year-old softened up his 29-year-old adversary with calf kicks before launching a relentless wrestling attack, and Della Maddalena had no answer, getting stuck on the mat dealing with submission threats under tremendous pressure for long periods.

“This is my plan. It’s not a secret, all my opponents know this, and nobody can stop it,” Makhachev said before calling for his first title defence to be at the proposed event on the White House lawn in 2026.

All three judges scored the contest 50-45 as Makhachev became the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes.

Della Maddalena – who ended an 18-fight career win streak that featured 14 finishes – walked out of the cage without conducting the traditional post-fight interview, and lost his first title defence since he beat Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision in May to wrest away the welterweight championship.