“Beat Topuria, Then Jack Della” – Paddy Pimblett Says Islam Makhachev Is Making a Mistake with Welterweight Move

Paddy Pimblett thinks Islam Makhachev should have stuck around at lightweight long enough to beat Ilia Topuria.

After months of speculation that Makhachev’s next 155-pound title defense would come against Topuria, the rug was pulled out from under fight fans. Instead, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ opted to vacate his lightweight championship to move up to welterweight, challenging the newly crowned king at 170, Jack Della Maddalena.

Since then, Makhachev has been the subject of significant scrutiny, with many suggesting that he hightailed it out of the lightweight division to avoid a fight with the undefeated ‘El Matador.’ Even former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen suggested this, claiming Makhachev did everything he could to “avoid that fight.”

Paddy Pimblett thinks Makhachev missed his chance to beat Topuria and ‘JDM’ in 2025

Offering his take on the situation, Pimblett believes Makhachev made a big mistake in moving to welterweight before welcoming Topuria to 155.

“If I was Islam, I would have fought Topuria, beat him up, and then fought Jack Della like four months later, ’cause Islam would probably want to headline the Abu Dhabi card,” Pimblet told TNT Sports.

Defeating both Topuria and Jack Della Maddalena in a single year would be an undeniably impressive feat, but there’s a lot that we don’t know about Makhachev’s decision to move up.

Many have speculated that Makhachev is no longer capable of making the strenuous weight cut to 155. However, that theory kind of goes out the window when you consider that Makhachev would have stayed at lightweight to fight Topuria had Belal Muhammad beaten ‘JDM’ at UFC 315.

Then there’s the rumor that Makhachev may have been stripped of the lightweight title for an alleged doping violation, though nobody has come forward to substantiate the claim.

Chances are, it’ll be a long time before we find out the truth behind the decision, but if Makhachev ends up defeating Della Maddalena and collecting his second UFC title in as many divisions, it won’t really matter.