Islam Makhachev has received some praise from a former foe a month ahead of UFC 322.
Makhachev will challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight championship on November 15. He left the UFC lightweight championship in an attempt to capture the 170-pound gold. Makhachev vs. Maddalena is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Dan Hooker, who was submitted by Makhachev in 2021, had high praise for the former 155-pound champion for making weight gains when he spoke to Sky Sports Australia (h/t MMA Junkie).
“A huge ask for Islam, and it’s an honor for him to have stood on this board and made it all the way to welterweight,” Hooker continued. “He definitely got my respect for being able to move up a weight class and fight Jack Della. It’s something that even the greatest lightweight of all time, Khabib, was never able to emulate as an achievement as a two-division champion. So all credit to him, but it’s a huge ask.”
Maddalena captured the UFC welterweight championship from Makhachev’s teammate Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Maddalena showed off his much-improved takedown defense. He was able to inflict more damage on Mohammed in the stand-up and he emerged victorious via unanimous decision.
UFC 322 will also feature a superfight for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship. Former strawweight ruler Zhang Weili steps up to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound gold. Sean Brady will face Michael Morales, while former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards meets Carlos Prates.
Other key matchups for the UFC 322 card include Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis, Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez and Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira.
Stay with BJPenn.com for the latest updates on the UFC 322 card. We will be reporting live from the stacked event on Fight Night.
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