Islam Makhachev will have much to prove in his move up to 170 pounds later tonight (Sat., Nov. 15, 2025) at UFC 322 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, but UFC’s former lightweight champion already looks the part of a true Welterweight.
In case you forgot, Makhachev has dominated UFC’s 155-pound weight class for the past 10 years en route to becoming one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Makhachev was beginning to run out of new lightweight title challengers so he decided to relinquish his 155-pound belt and make a jump to welterweight, which culminates with a main event clash this weekend against UFC welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena.
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Makhachev, who has had some pretty rough weight cuts in the past (although he’s never actually missed weight), enjoyed a slightly easier one this week as he touched the scale at 170 pounds during Friday’s early weigh ins (replay HERE). Some fight fans thought Makhachev still looked a little depleted and slightly undersized, but others thought he looked prime for his first-ever welterweight fight.
In order see to what kind of physical effect a move to 170 pounds has had on Makhachev we’ve provided a side-by-side breakdown below. The left photo is from Makhachev’s lightweight clash with Dustin Poirier back at UFC 302 while the right photo is from Friday’s UFC 322 weigh ins.
Check it out and let us know what you think!
LIVE! Stream UFC 322 On ESPN+
WELTERWEIGHT SUPER FIGHT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 15, 2025, with a stacked ESPN+-streamed UFC 322 fight card. In UFC 322’s main event, dominant Russian Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, aims for historic “double-champ” status by challenging Australian knockout specialist and reigning Welterweight kingpin, Jack Della Maddalena, in an explosive title bout that could redefine the 170-pound division. In UFC 322’s co-headliner, women’s Flyweight queenpin, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, defends her throne against Strawweight powerhouse, Zhang Weili, who’s also moving up for a shot at two-division glory in a “Champion vs. Champion” showdown packed with elite striking and grappling. All that and SO MUCH MORE!!!
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
