Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko has shared his admiration for Islam Makhachev’s dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, where the Dagestani star claimed the welterweight title to become a two-division champion.
“Thank God, I had a great time watching this fight,” Fedor stated in an interview when asked about Makhachev’s victory. The former PRIDE champion was particularly impressed by how thoroughly Makhachev controlled his opponent throughout the bout. “He just didn’t leave any chance. It seems to me that there was no question about the duel.”
Makhachev’s wrestling prowess was on full display as he recorded an astounding 20 minutes of control time against Maddalena, moving up from lightweight to welterweight—a weight class seven kilograms heavier than his usual division. What stood out most to Fedor was how Makhachev created conditions where his opponent appeared helpless.
“I liked that Islam created such conditions that the opponent had the impression that he did not want to fight,” Fedor explained. “He had complete control over it. He was simply helpless in the situations that Islam created. It was created the impression that he simply didn’t want to fight, well, he couldn’t fight and didn’t want to. Well, this is, of course, the merit of Islam.”
The legendary heavyweight also praised Makhachev’s striking work, particularly his leg kicks and sense of distance. “Good job. A sense of distance. The sense of distance and the correct use of this is precisely entering into a clinch,” Fedor noted, though he suggested there’s still room for improvement in the standup game.
Fedor believes Makhachev’s samba background was crucial to his success, stating that the champion “glorifies samba” and “taught a good lesson not to say bad things in samba.” When asked about potential future opponents like Shavkat Rakhmonov and the possibility of Makhachev moving up to middleweight to become the UFC’s first three-division champion, Fedor remained diplomatic. “I think Islam can handle all of them. The main thing is not to relax,” he said, adding that the decision should ultimately be left to Makhachev himself.
