Did Islam Makhachev make a mistake by moving up to 170 lbs? In pursuit of a double champ status, he’s now set to face Jack Della Maddalena on November 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Russian believes competing at a higher weight will work in his favor, as the cut will be far less draining. “I still feel I recover for the fight, like, maybe 70, 60 percent, because it’s so hard to recover in 30 hours. Now, I’m very excited to see how I’m going to feel in the cage,” Makhachev said recently. But this has raised a doubt.

Podcast host and analyst Angelo Bodetti shared his perspective on ‘WEIGHING IN.’ He acknowledged that while Jack Della Maddalena showed composure against Belal Muhammad despite being taken down multiple times, Makhachev’s grappling is on an entirely different level. However, Bodetti pointed out a potential weakness in the former lightweight champion’s game—his cardio. He brought back memories from the grueling battles Makhachev endured against Dustin Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski.

Josh Thomson doesn’t think cardio will be an issue for Islam Makhachev

Bodetti elaborated on his stance, emphasizing how Makhachev appeared exhausted and bloodied during his battle with Dustin Poirier and had gone through absolute hell in his war against Alexander Volkanovski. “If you’re in a fight with Dustin Poirier and you’re that exhausted and it’s coming down to the fifth round and everybody’s a bloody mess… like I can’t believe this went this long. Even in that first Alexander Volkanovski fight, he went to hell and back… It didn’t seem like Islam was as fresh as he should have been,” Bodetti explained.

“I am worried that maybe he’s carrying around all this extra weight, and the cardio might not be there. And if he starts to slow down, JDM will take over,” he added. However, Makhachev’s former teammate from the American Kickboxing Academy, Josh Thomson, dismissed those concerns. He pointed out that when the 34-year-old fought at lightweight, he used to walk around at 175 lbs and was “killing himself to get [to 155lbs.].” Now, according to Thomson, Makhachev is walking around at 195 lbs. Hence, the cut is much less draining this time around.

“I think the fact that he doesn’t have to cut that amount of weight… He’s literally going to fight at the weight class that he walks around at. He’s going to cut the weight down to [170lbs.], and he’s going to get himself right back to where he normally fights or trains at. That’s ideal,” Thomson said during the interview. He believes this is the “perfect weight class” for Makhachev. While he acknowledged that the Russian might still have to make a slight adjustment to cut weight, it would be nothing compared to the draining process he endured at lightweight.

And Thomson might be right. Makhachev’s cardio at welterweight is expected to be far superior to his lightweight performances. Shedding only 10–15 lbs instead of 20 or more allows for faster recovery, better endurance, and peak performance. On fight night, his trademark Dagestani pressure could remain relentless over all 25 minutes. Against Jack Della Maddalena, that advantage could turn a challenging matchup into a late-round domination.

And according to this insider, that’s exactly how the fight will play out.

Ali Abdelaziz predicts Makhachev will make everyone look like an amateur

Makhachev’s longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is confident that fans will witness the best version of Islam Makhachev in the upcoming fight at UFC 322. “He is the best Islam. If Islam right now fought the old Islam, he’d beat him in the first round,” Abdelaziz said during an appearance on Submission Radio.

Confident in Makhachev’s preparation and physical transformation, he added, “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s healthy, he’s happy. He is not suffering [from] cutting weight, and he is very, very strong.” Abdelaziz went as far as to claim that Makhachev’s growth will be evident against anyone who shares the cage with him. 

“He makes everyone feel like an amateur,” he declared, predicting another masterclass at UFC 322.

Well, those who’ve worked closely with Islam Makhachev don’t seem concerned about his cardio. Still, Belal Muhammad is a strong grappler too—and ‘JDM’ beat him. Could history repeat itself?