Islam Makhachev has consistently demonstrated a willingness to face any opponent, embodied by his “anyone, anywhere, anytime” mantra. This fearless approach is even celebrated with one of his quotes prominently displayed at the UFC Performance Institute.
Reflecting on his mindset after a sudden opponent change in 2023, Makhachev stated, “What does this title represent? It means you’re the best in the world and if you’re the best in the world it doesn’t matter who is standing across from you. What could I say? No? Never. Let’s do this.”
Considering this history, it`s difficult to accept the current narrative suggesting Makhachev is avoiding a fight with former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. This discussion arose after Makhachev decided to vacate his lightweight title to pursue a welterweight championship opportunity against Jack Della Maddalena later this year. Topuria has been vocal about his belief that Makhachev is ducking him, a claim that has found support from analysts like Chael Sonnen. However, UFC icon Matt Brown strongly refutes this idea.
“I’m very surprised people are saying that,” Brown commented on a recent podcast episode. “That’s a very silly thing to say. Islam ducking someone, that sentence just doesn’t make sense, those words. I just don’t see that at all.”
Brown went on to draw comparisons between the two fighters. “As a matter of fact, Jack Della Maddalena is sort of a bigger version of Ilia in some respects. Great boxers with good power. That’s kind of their forte, great boxers with good power. It seems kind of counterintuitive to move up a weight class to fight a great boxer with power to duck a smaller guy that’s a great boxer with power?”
Jack Della Maddalena, recently crowned champion after defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, is widely recognized for his exceptional boxing skills and potent knockout power in both hands. Physically, Della Maddalena is significantly larger than Topuria, standing 5-foot-11 with a 73-inch reach, compared to the former featherweight champion`s 5-foot-7 height and 69-inch reach.
Makhachev, meanwhile, falls between the two in terms of physical dimensions, being shorter and having a smaller reach than Della Maddalena but notably bigger than Topuria in both aspects.
This size dynamic further fuels Brown`s skepticism regarding the “ducking” claims. He finds it implausible that Makhachev would avoid a potential showdown with Topuria only to instead step into what he views as an even more dangerous fight against Della Maddalena.
“Those two words just don’t go together — Islam and ducking,” Brown asserted. “It doesn’t add up in any sense of the word. There’s certainly situations of guys ‘ducking’ but you kind of have to define what ducking is, too. Are they going out of their way specifically to not fight a guy? Islam’s going for a bigger opportunity. I don’t think that’s ducking in any definition of the word that you can muster up.” He added that such claims often stem from emotional fans rather than a realistic assessment of the situation. “There’s also the business side when people talk about this ducking stuff… That’s just the redneck fans talking or the Reddit fans, too… people like to say all kinds of things and make it more dramatic than it actually is. Islam, I don’t see a single ounce of ducking in him anywhere. I think he would fight at 185 or 205 [pounds] if the opportunity is there.”
From a stylistic standpoint, Brown believes Makhachev is actually undertaking a greater risk by moving up to the welterweight division, where Brown himself spent his entire UFC career.
While acknowledging Topuria`s impressive performance in the UFC, Brown emphasized that weight classes are crucial. He couldn`t help but question whether Della Maddalena might present a more challenging matchup for Makhachev.
“Just a bigger, stronger, as a matter of fact I would say Jack is even more technical than Ilia on the feet,” Brown stated. “Ilia, pound-for-pound, I would argue has more power but I would say Jack probably has more technique.”
He concluded, “So it’s not a safer fight in any way at all. It’s a very odd thing to say he’s ducking a smaller boxer to fight a bigger boxer.”
A final significant factor Brown considered when discussing Makhachev`s decision to vacate his lightweight title and pursue welterweight gold is the potential impact on his legacy.
Makhachev currently holds the record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC lightweight history with four, surpassing his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov`s three defenses.
By moving up to welterweight and potentially capturing a second title, Makhachev would join a highly exclusive group of two-division champions. Perhaps more importantly, the opportunity to defend that second belt further enhances his legacy.
“If Islam is able to stay on top of that division, that’s going to be epic,” Brown remarked. “We’ve already had the conversation is he greater than Khabib. He goes up and beats Jack, that kind of solidifies it right? Hypothetically, say he wins four fights at welterweight, at what point does he start being the greatest ever? I think it’s a very doable thing for Islam, which is what makes it really interesting him going up a weight class.”
Brown elaborated on the significance, “Because it’s one thing to have another four or five or whatever [wins] in your own division but you move up, and say he defends his title another four times, we talk about the amount of killers in that division — they’re not going to be four easy fights. It’s not going to be four guys coming up from 155 or anything. There’s more than enough in line there. That makes for a fascinating vision for Islam.”
