Outside Source
Islam Makhachev won’t be a simultaneous two-division champion after all.
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UFC CEO Dana White announced on Tuesday that Makhachev will vacate the lightweight crown and face reigning welterweight king Jack Della Maddalena at a future event. The date for that fight was not revealed.
Della Maddalena claimed the welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 this past Saturday. That cleared the way for Makhachev to move up a division, because the Dagestani standout didn’t want to fight for the title if Muhammad — a friend and training partner — still held the belt.
Makhachev has won his last 15 UFC appearances, a streak that includes four successful lightweight title defenses. He last competed at UFC 311, where he scored a first-round submission win over Renato Carneiro.
Della Maddalena has won 18 consecutive professional outings — including his first eight Octagon appearances. The Aussie was able to capitalize on his championship opportunity when Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to face Muhammad at UFC 315 due to injury.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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