At UFC 322, history has been made. Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena to hoist the welterweight belt, and just like that, the Dagestani can call himself a two-division champion. Sure, Makhachev has fulfilled his dream and reached one major milestone in his journey. However, after grabbing the 170 lbs belt, a new wave of challenges has opened up that can lead to even bigger fights in the future.
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After celebrating with the belt, the newly crowned welterweight champ took center stage and made himself clear to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, saying he wants to fight at the still unofficial White House card. However, to actually perform on that event, he needs an opponent with the kind of star power that matches his own. And although Ilia Topuria has emerged as a name, Joe Rogan believes two contenders from the 170 lbs division stand out as potential challengers.
In the post-fight discussion with fellow cageside commentators Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik, Rogan mentioned former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound #1, Kamaru Usman, to face Makhachev. Following ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, the UFC color commentator also mentioned surging contender Ian Garry as a potential opponent for the two-weight world champ.
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Double Champ @islam_makhachev pic.twitter.com/WfSI9aaoQv
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) November 16, 2025
Tonight, Madison Square Garden delivered a huge night for the welterweight division, as Carlos Prates and Michael Morales emerged as top contenders after knocking out Leon Edwards and Michael Morales in their respective main-card bouts. Still, Kamaru Usman’s name will always stay in the mix, especially since Makhachev himself said at the UFC 322 media day, “He’s a big name, and he’s in a good position right now. He beat [Joaquin] Buckley, who is one of the contenders also.”
Well, as the Nigerian Nightmare remains one of the star opponents for Makhachev, an Irishman is also on his way to face the Dagestani next. On November 22, Ian Garry will face former champion Belal Muhammad in the promotion’s inaugural Fight Night event in Qatar. So, if The Future ends up winning that fight, he’d also be in the race for a welterweight title shot.
Currently, the welterweight title picture — and getting a shot at Islam Makhachev’s belt — has become really complex with all these contenders lining up to face him. But what does the newly crowned champ think about it? Let’s find out.
Islam Makhachev is ready to face everyone after UFC 322 win
The Dagestani has amplified his legendary status even more after adding another belt to his trophy cabinet. However, immediately after he won the title, fans started contemplating his next move. Is he going to defend the 170 lbs belt? To curb that curiosity, the two-division champ revealed that he plans to defend the belt as many times as possible, because making welterweight isn’t a hard task for him anymore.
At the UFC 322 presser, Makhachev said, “Everybody wants something. This is the much competitive division right now. Sure, 100%. Like a lot of young guys who fought today. Next week gonna fight couple of guys. And also, Kamaru, Topuria you know, all killers want to take my belt. No..no..no.. I don’t give you know. I working so hard to be double champion and I feel it today. I don’t have to cut much weight and I’m gonna defend my belt many many times.”
That’s a very positive sign that the new 170 lbs kingpin is open to facing anyone. Now, time will tell what Dana White and company decide to do next. And with the UFC White House event projected for the first half of next year, the promotion definitely would want to see him defend his belt there, preferably against Ilia Topuria if the Georgian Spaniard actually remains the 155 lbs champion by then.
That said, let us know what you think about Islam Makhachev actually winning the second belt and reaching true greatest-of-all-time status, and who you want him to face next, in the comments section below.
Written by
Edited by
Syed Rahil Ahmed