Islam Makhachev joined the elite list of two-weight champions by beating Jack Della Maddalena to become the new UFC welterweight title holder.
Former lightweight champion Makhachev became the 11th fighter to win titles across two divisions in the UFC following a dominant victory at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Russian was awarded a unanimous points victory from the five-round contest at UFC 322, with all three scorecards having him 50-45 up as his grappling skills proved decisive.
“I feel amazing,” Makhachev told the UFC website. “I try to control my emotions, but I am so happy.
“Jack is one of the best in this game. We trained hard to prepare for him. It’s why we made this easy, it’s because we trained so hard for him.”
Makhachev, who is coached by UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov and has not lost a fight since 2015, improved his record to 28 wins and one loss.
Australian Della Maddalena lost for the first time since May 2016 and has three defeats and 18 wins from 21 fights.
Makhachev, who wants to fight at the UFC’s White House event next summer added, “I am ready to fight with the biggest names in this sport.”
