Fedor Emelianenko Lauds Islam Makhachev’s Welterweight Title Win

Islam Makhachev’s UFC 322 title win earned praise from one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Makhachev vacated his lightweight title after four defenses to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title. Maddalena had won the belt in a massive upset against Belal Muhammad this past May. Makhachev (28-1) was riding a 15-fight winning streak and Maddalena (18-3) was on an 18-fight winning streak when they met at UFC 322 last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Makhachev dominated Maddalena on the ground for five rounds to earn a dominant unanimous decision win.

Fedor Emelianenko was impressed by Makhachev’s ability to nullify any threat from Maddalena. Emelianenko felt…