Islam Makhachev will look to grow to be a two-weight UFC champion on Saturday night.
The previous lightweight king will challenge welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322.
Israel Adesanya thinks Islam Makhachev will get KO’d inside three rounds at Madison Square Garden.
But what do the Bloody Elbow writers think? Let’s discover.
- LATEST NEWS: Islam Makhachev must break 21-year run to win welterweight title in UFC 322 super fight
Jordan Ellis: “I expect Islam Makhachev to look spectacular in his 170lb debut. The 34-year-old is slick enough on the feet to hold with Jack Della Maddalena for just a little while. Ultimately, I believe he’ll get the takedown and the submission victory. Belal Muhammad was a weak champion, and I’m yet to see ‘JDM’ beat anyone on the very top level, so I simply can’t pick him on this one.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY SUBMISSION
Donagh Corby: “Islam Makhachev is actually looking the part at his latest weight of 170lb, and I believe we’re going to know the final result of this fight very early. If he gets the takedown quick, it’s hard to see how JDM survives the relentless Dagestani pressure. But one thing we saw with Makhachev against Dustin Poirier was that he can get drained, and at a brand new weight, it might be an issue.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY SUBMISSION
Who will win the UFC 322 primary event?
Jamie Theodosi: “The UFC 322 primary event is some of the intriguing matchups we’ve had in several years. I’m interested to see how Islam Makhachev compares to JDM along with his size and if he can still implement his dominant grappling at this weight class. That being said, I just can’t go against Makhachev and his body of labor, against a champion who, at this point, has yet to prove how good he actually is.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY DECISION
Chris De Santiago: “With the burden cut not taking its toll this time around, I consider we’ll see the perfect Islam Makhachev we’ve ever seen at UFC 322. That’s to not say he’ll cut through Della Maddalena easily, but I do see him posing problems if he’s capable of mix in his wrestling and striking seamlessly, unlike what Belal Muhammad did in his fight against JDM.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY DECISION
Ross Markey: “I’m picking Islam Makhachev to win the welterweight crown against Jack Della Maddalena. Undoubtedly, it’ll prove JDM’s biggest test in his Octagon stint to date, and beyond a freak-loss to Adriano Martins over 10 years ago, Makhachev has remained largely untested during his lightweight run. Yes, he’s making his first outing at welterweight; nevertheless, he’s matched up quite well with Della Maddalena, stature-wise not less than.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY DECISION
Harvey Leonard: “An elite striker promising to surprise everyone with their wrestling defense when coming up against a largely unstoppable grappler is a tale as old as time. In Jack Della Maddalena’s case, I simply don’t envision him with the ability to thwart what his Dagestani challenger brings to the table. I don’t expect Islam Makhachev’s crowning as a two-division champion to come back easy, but after a slog at UFC 322 akin to people who he got through against Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier, I believe the previous lightweight king could have his hand raised.”
PREDICTION: ISLAM MAKHACHEV BY DECISION