Outside Source
Via a release from the promotion on Thursday night, Della Maddalena (18-2) will put his 170-pound strap on the line for the first time against ex-lightweight king Islam Makhachev (27-1) on Nov. 15. The two welterweights will headline UFC 322, the company’s yearly trip to Madison Square Garden in New York. The organization announced several other fights in this flurry as part of this event’s main card, including another championship bout.
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Della Maddalena will be making the first defense of welterweight gold, as he claimed it in May with a one-sided decision over Belal Muhammad. That victory was the culmination of an 18-fight win streak for the Aussie, who lost his first two pro outings and then did not taste defeat again. In the Octagon, “JDM” has put together an eight-fight triumphant stretch, but that pales in comparison to the man he will share the cage with in November.
Massive Win Streaks Collide in UFC 322 Headliner
While the Australian champion has amassed a win streak of eight straight, the challenger for his throne has nearly doubled that. Securing the undisputed lightweight title from Charles Oliveira in 2022, Makhachev defended it twice against Alexander Volkanovski, and then rattled off a pair of championship brabo chokes over Dustin Poirier and Renato “Money” Moicano. Since getting punched out by Adriano Martins nearly a decade ago, Makhachev is the winner of 15 bouts in a row, one shy of Anderson Silva’s all-time great streak.
To get this shot at gold, Makhachev had to vacate his lightweight crown. He did so after setting the new record with championship defenses in his weight category, but has since suggested he might have unfinished business in the form of ex-two-division champ Ilia Topuria. The vacant belt went up for grabs between Oliveira and Topuria, with the Georgian reigning supreme at night’s end.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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