ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 21: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts after his knockout victory against Alexander Volkanovski of Australia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 294 event at Etihad Arena on October 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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It took a while, but last week UFC CEO Dana White announced the date and location for the UFC welterweight title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. That matchup headlines the UFC 322 pay-per-view fight card from Madison Square Garden in New York on November 15.
The Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev bout has been pencilled in on the UFC schedule since May, when White said, “Current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is going to move up to the welterweight division to face Jack Della Maddalena. What do we all love about Islam? If he had moved up to fight Belal, he was a 5-to-1 favorite. Moving up to fight Jack? The oddsmakers have this fight at even. This guy is a beast. Islam is the (expletive) best.”
UFC 322 Main Event: Jack Della Maddalena Vs. Islam Makhachev Opening Betting Odds And Line Movement
BetOnline had a betting line on the UFC 322 main event in May after White announced the potential fight. Makhachev opened as the -200 betting favorite over Della Maddalena, who was the +170 betting underdog.
Those betting lines have moved. Today, Makhachev is listed at -230, while the champ comes in at +195.
UFC 322 Main Event: Jack Della Maddalena
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – MAY 10: Jack Della Maddalena of Australia reacts after his unanimous-decision victory against Belal Muhammad in the UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 315 event at Bell Centre on May 10, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) signed with the UFC in September 2021 following a decision win over Ange Loosa on a Dana White’s Contender Series card. Before the bout, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby said of Della Maddalena, “I thinkDella Maddalena is probably the best prospect out of New Zealand or Australia at welterweight. He’s a big guy. He throws a ton of offense, and he’s really good in the clinch. The win over Loosa marked the first time Della Maddalena had won a fight via decision. He went into the bout on a run of nine stoppages (eight knockouts, one submission) after opening his professional career at 0-2 with two stoppage setbacks. Della Maddalena was the reigning and defending Eternal MMA welterweight titleholder heading into the DWCS card.
The Australian scrapper opened his official UFC run with four first-round stoppage wins and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses. He finished Pete Rodriguez, Ramazan Emeev, and Danny Roberts by knockout before stopping Randy Brown via submission.
In his first fight to go the distance under the UFC banner, Della Maddalena was in a “Fight of the Night” bonus-winning affair with Bassil Hafez, which Della Maddalena won via split decision. He followed that with another split decision, topping Kevin Holland in September 2023.
Della Maddalena followed his victory over Holland with a third-round knockout triumph over former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns in March 2024.
Della Maddalena claimed the UFC welterweight title in May 2025, defeating then-champion Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision at UFC 315.
Over the course of his eight-fight UFC career, Della Maddalena has picked up six fight-night bonus awards.
UFC 322 Main Event: Islam Makhachev
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 01: Islam Makhachev of Russia prepares to face Dustin Poirier in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Islam Makhachev (27-1) was 11-0 when he joined the UFC in 2015. He won his promotional debut, submitting Leo Kuntz in the second round. In his second scrap under the UFC banner, Adriano Martins knocked out Makhachev in the first round. That loss remains the only blemish on the record of the now 32-year-old Makhachev.
After the loss to Martins, Makhachev ran off 10 straight wins. That run earned him the No. 4 spot in the UFC lightweight rankings and set him up to face ex-champ Charles Oliveira in a battle for the vacant lightweight crown. Makhachev claimed the belt with a second-round submission win in 2022.
In his first two title defenses, Makhachev faced then-UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. He won the first bout at UFC 284 by decision and followed that with a knockout win over Volkanovski at UFC 294.
In June 2024, the UFC matched Makhachev against former interim UFC lightweight titleholder Dustin Poirier. Makhachev submitted Poirier in the fifth round of that contest, which headlined UFC 302.
In his most recent outing, Makhachev defended his crown with a quick submission win over late replacement Renato Moicano, who stepped in to replace Arman Tsarukyan on weigh-in day. The victory gave Makhachev the record for most consecutive UFC lightweight title defenses at four.
In his past five fights, Makhachev has earned five fight-night bonus awards.
How UFC 315 Decided Della Maddalena Vs. Makhachev
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – MAY 10: (L-R) Jack Della Maddalena of Australia punches Belal Muhammad in the UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 315 event at Bell Centre on May 10, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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In the lead up to UFC 315, White was asked if it was true that the winner of the Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena fight would determine if former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria would fight Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title or Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. The implication in that question was that if Muhammad won, then Makhachev would stay put at 155 pounds and not challenge his friend and training partner for the 170-pound crown, but that a Della Maddalena win would result in Makhachev moving up to welterweight to face Della Maddalena.
White replied, “There is a lot of moving parts right now, and, yeah, that’s pretty accurate.”
We will have more on UFC 322, including opening betting odds for the co-main event as fight night approaches.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trentreinsmith/2025/09/02/ufc-322-main-event-della-maddalena-vs-makhachev-opening-odds/
