UFC 315 may have crowned a new welterweight king, but it also opened the door to a storm no one’s fully prepared for — Islam Makhachev’s bold leap into the 170-pound waters.
Had Belal Muhammad remained the welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev wouldn’t have opted to move to the 170-pound division. But with Jack Della Maddalena as the newly crowned champion, the lightweight champ couldn’t stray away from his dream of becoming a two-division champion. We can say for sure that Makhachev vs Della Maddalena is the next big fight in the welterweight division. However, there’s a minor issue with the confirmation. 

Dana White has already declared that Makhachev will fight the WW champion next. While announcing the bouts for UFC 317, the UFC head honcho said, “Islam Makhachev will vacate the lightweight title and will face Jack Della Maddalena.” But the date and venue are still unknown. That’s when Khabib Nurmagomedov made an entry with a reference from his iconic rivalry against Conor McGregor.  

“Send me location” has now become a catchphrase for the former undefeated lightweight champion. Back in 2018, he looked straight into the camera and asked McGregor to tell him where to fight. Ever since then, ‘The Eagle’ has used those words whenever possible. He used these words while offering to train Patrice Evra ahead of his MMA debut. And now, he used it to ask the UFC CEO for the venue for his protégé’s next bout. 

Well, Nurmagomedov recently shared a cascade of visuals on Instagram. The caption to the cascade read, “Dagestan Chronicles ))).” And one of these visuals showed Makhachev waving his hand while sitting on a couch. ‘The Eagle’ reshared this visual on his Instagram Story and captioned, “[Islam Makhachev] Send him location [Dana White].” Needless to say, the UFC head honcho has yet to respond to Nurmagomedov’s request. 

As the heat around Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena continued to rise, both fighters sent some warning shots at each other through social media. But Team Khabib seemed a bit too confident in Makhachev’s prowess. Let’s see what the AKA coach, Javier Mendez, had to say about the matchup, shall we? 

Team Khabib Nurmagomedov stands tall in supporting Islam Makhachev against Jack Della Maddalena

It was true that ‘Remember The Name’ made a grave error by refusing to use his wrestling at UFC 315. Muhammad was pretty confident that he could beat the Australian welterweight star on his feet. However, Makhachev was a bit different. Talking to Submission Radio, Mendez revealed, “He can do it all. Can he take Jack down? Absolutely. He can take him down. Can he outstrike Jack? Absolutely. But, is it wise to outstrike him? I feel we can. But it may be a better deal to do what Belal should have one. He’s never not listened to us as his corner, his coaches… He’s always listened to us — he’s the most disciplined, well-trained fighter I’ve ever had — in that department.”

But has the soon-to-be lightweight champion commenced his training to face Della Maddalena? Not really… Mendez, during his recent appearance on the Javier and Mo Show, pointed out, “We have not started yet. The fight’s not signed yet, according to what I know. The date’s not done yet, so there’s no camp yet.” Instead, Makhachev has engaged himself in doing things that he wouldn’t be able to do once the training camp starts. Being an adventure-loving man, Makhachev went on dirt bike riding sessions. So, when can we expect him to fight? 

According to the AKA coach, there are a few possibilities. The fight can go down anytime between October 2025 and January 2026. Della Maddalena is fresh out of a victory, and we can certainly expect him to rest and recover for the next few months. And with the anticipation rising and both fighters almost ready, we can also expect White to make some announcement pretty soon. 

What are your thoughts on the matchup between Makhachev and Della Maddalena? Who do you think would rise victorious in the bout? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.