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Khamzat Chimaev, the current UFC middleweight titleholder, has weighed in on who will come out on top in the upcoming welterweight title clash between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is set to move up a division for the first time when he faces Della Maddalena in the UFC 322 main event this November. Having vacated his lightweight belt earlier this year, the Russian will be looking to make history by becoming a two-division champion. Prior to his first title defence, Della Maddalena discussed his ideal plan, including a potential future middleweight title bout against Chimaev. Khamzat Chimaev weighs in on UFC 322 main event Back when Chimaev was competing at welterweight, a title shot seemed like a matter of time, but ongoing health problems led him to move up to middleweight. After moving up in weight, it did not take long for him to make his mark, and earlier this year he captured the belt by defeating Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. Even with his success at middleweight, the 31-year-old has not completely closed the door on a return to welterweight and has hinted he might consider dropping back down in the future. Looking ahead to the UFC 322 main event, Chimaev shared his thoughts on how he sees the fight playing out between Makhachev and Della Maddalena. “Jack or Islam? I think Islam, we will see. Both are good fighters. Islam moving up is interesting to see how he’s gonna do but I think Islam will win, he’s gonna use his wrestling more in this fight,” Chimaev stated. Makhachev may be heavily favoured going into this bout, but Michael Bisping has pointed out that Della Maddalena’s striking ability could play a big role. Could we see Chimaev fight the winner in the future? While Chimaev appears settled at 185lbs, the door to a potential welterweight return never seems fully closed, especially with Della Maddalena openly expressing interest in a future match-up. But if Makhachev comes out on top and claims the title, do not expect him and Chimaev to square off. Their long-standing connection makes that scenario highly unlikely.
