The next battle for Islam’s Makhachev was confirmed against Jack Della Madalena for the UFC welterweight title by the end of the year.
Although the official date and venue have not been confirmed yet, Makhachev’s next fight will be his 170 pound debut against the new welterweight champion in the UFC Pay-per-View main event.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV Next Battle: P4P Star Faces UFC Welterweight Title Jack Dela Maddarena
It is fair to say that Islamic Makhachev is currently one of the most dominant fighters on the entire UFC roster. Dagestani Fighter won the UFC lightweight title since October 2022, defeating all the best 155 pound fighters in the process.
After clearing the lightweight division, Makhachev is currently transitioning to welterweight to become the two division UFC champion.
As the current pound pound #1, the 33-year-old quickly won the UFC welterweight title. This confirmed Makachev’s move to 170 pounds after Jacques Della Madalena’s victory over Beral Muhammad at UFC 315.
This means that he also officially opened his lightweight belt in favor of the move-up. UFC President Dana White has officially confirmed that Islamic Makhachev’s next fight will oppose the welterweight belt “JDM” by the end of the year.
Time to become a double champion #inshaallah
Let’s go now-Makhachev Islam (@makhachevmma) May 11, 2025
The date and venue have not been confirmed yet, but Della Maddalena vs Makhachev will be heading the giant UFC pay-per-view card by the end of the year. September or October seems likely to be a match at UFC 320 or UFC 321.
Islam Makhachev’s next fight will make him a favorite on MMA Sportsbooks, but that’s not easy. Jacques Della Madalena looked sensational with a belt against Beral Muhammad, so Daguestani’s fighter must join the A-game to become a two-weight UFC champion.
All eyes are in the next battle of Islamic Makhachev as he aims to further solidify himself as the #1 P4P king of the UFC. Can he add his name to the history book as a two-division UFC champion?
Dana Dana White confirms that Islam Makhachev will free up the lightweight title and move up to 170 pounds to face the Welterweight title Jacques de La Maddarena.
Location and date TBC👀 pic.twitter.com/zakbxkzsge
– TNT Sports’ UFC (@ufcontnt) May 13, 2025
Who will Islam Makhachev fight after the “JDM” clash?
If the next battle of Islamic Makhachev would bring victory, there could be more mammoth matches planned for the Pound for Pond King.
If he wins the UFC welterweight title in his next fight against Jack Della Maddalena, Makachev will want to protect his 170-pound belt and some ties to solidify himself by solidifying his 170-pound belt as the best fighter in the division.
Shavkat Rakhmonov, Sean Brady, Ian Machado Garry and Kamaru Usman were able to line up for their next belt shot. Of these names, Rakhmonov certainly lined up in the next line, and if he becomes the champion it will be Makhachev’s next fight after “JDM”.
It appears that Makhachev can then go through the Welterweight division, breaking all corners and completely wipe out the second weight class. If he does that and Ilia Topria continues doing the same at 155 pounds, the pair could end up ringing the line in an epic superfight.
Topuria and Makhachev are traveling back and forth on social media, and at some stage between the pair the fight is almost inevitable. However, Makhachev’s move to welterweight means that Topria has to strengthen another weight class after he has already moved from featherweight to lighter weight.
The fight could be happening, but it’s still a long way to go and may never happen. For certain, Macachiev has many options in the future for his next fight after the showdown of Jack Della Madarena.
First, the next battle for Islamic Makhachev must bring victory over the “JDM” before even pondering the potential megafights from 2026 onwards.
