UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has long been known for his willingness to face any opponent, famously stating his “anyone, anywhere, anytime” philosophy, a quote even displayed at the UFC Performance Institute.
Considering this history, it seems unlikely that Makhachev would suddenly back away from a challenge like former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. However, this is the narrative circulating since Makhachev decided to vacate his lightweight title and move up to the welterweight division (170 pounds) to pursue a second belt against Jack Della Maddalena later this year. Topuria has publicly accused Makhachev of ducking him, a claim echoed by some analysts including Chael Sonnen. Yet, UFC veteran Matt Brown strongly disagrees with this assessment.
“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 further argued, “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?”
Della Maddalena, recently crowned champion after defeating Belal Muhammad, is highly regarded for his boxing skills and powerful striking. Standing 5-foot-11 with a 73-inch reach, he is significantly larger than Topuria, who is 5-foot-7 with a 69-inch reach. Makhachev himself is in between, shorter and with less reach than Della Maddalena, but considerably bigger than Topuria in both dimensions.
This size difference and stylistic comparison are key reasons why Brown finds the idea of Makhachev avoiding Topuria only to face Della Maddalena illogical. He sees it as running “head first into an inferno” rather than avoiding a challenge.
“Those two words just don’t go together — Islam and ducking,” Brown asserted. He suggested that while `ducking` can happen, it typically involves deliberately avoiding a specific opponent. In contrast, Makhachev is pursuing a significant career opportunity. Brown dismissed the claims as hype driven by passionate fans, saying, “people like to say all kinds of things and make it more dramatic than it actually is.” He expressed confidence that Makhachev would readily compete even at heavier weights like 185 or 205 pounds if the opportunity arose.
From a stylistic standpoint, Brown believes the move to welterweight actually presents a greater risk for Makhachev, a division where Brown himself spent his entire UFC career. While Topuria is a formidable fighter, weight classes play a crucial role, and Brown questions whether Della Maddalena might be the more difficult opponent for the lightweight champion.
Brown elaborated on the technical comparison: “Just a bigger, stronger, as a matter of fact I would say Jack is even more technical than Ilia on the feet… Ilia, pound-for-pound, I would argue has more power but I would say Jack probably has more technique.”
He concluded this point by reiterating, “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 consideration Brown raised regarding Makhachev`s decision to vacate his lightweight title for a shot at welterweight gold is the pursuit of legacy. Makhachev already holds the record for the most consecutive lightweight title defenses (four), surpassing his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov`s three.
By potentially winning a second title, Makhachev would join an elite group of multi-division champions. More importantly, the opportunity to defend that welterweight belt multiple times against top contenders in that division would significantly impact discussions about his place among the sport`s greatest.
“If Islam is able to stay on top of that division, that’s going to be epic,” Brown stated. “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?” Brown believes this is a “very doable thing” for Islam, which makes the move genuinely exciting.
He emphasized that accumulating wins in a new, stacked division is different from defending in your original weight class. “We talk about the amount of killers in that division — they’re not going to be four easy fights… There’s more than enough in line there. That makes for a fascinating vision for Islam.”
