"Khamzat is just a bigger version of Islam" - Sean O'Malley gets honest about Islam Makhachev potentially competing at middleweight 

Ex-UFC champion reacts to Islam Makhachev becoming the new welterweight king. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]
Ex-UFC champion reacts to Islam Makhachev becoming the new welterweight king. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Sean O'Malley recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev beating Jack Della Maddalena to become the UFC's new welterweight king. He claimed Makhachev could compete at middleweight as well and addressed a possible fight between the former lightweight champion and Khamzat Chimaev.

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Makhachev went up against Della Maddalena in a welterweight title fight at UFC 322 last weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City. While many expected the Australian to give Makhachev problems, the Dagestani grappling savant dominated the five-round fight and won the 170-pound title via unanimous decision to become the 11th two-division champion in promotional history.

Given Makhachev's dominance in the cage over the past few years, many have wondered whether he could replicate those performances at middleweight. In a recent interview, O'Malley claimed that Makhachev could beat "most guys" at 185 pounds and said:

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"Islam is smart enough to know that at 185 [pounds], he could probably beat most guys. He could do that to most guys. Khamzat [Chimaev] is just a bigger version of Islam. That would be sick to watch. That actually would be a f**king fun grappling fight."

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Sean O'Malley on whether anyone could beat Islam Makhachev after latter's UFC 322 win

Sean O'Malley recently questioned whether there was any fighter who could pose a serious challenge to Islam Makhachev inside the octagon. O'Malley also previewed a potential Makhachev vs. Khamzat Chimaev clash, admitting that the Dagestani fighter couldn't be counted out despite his much smaller size.

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In a video posted to his YouTube channel (via @RedCorner_MMA on X), the former featherweight champion shared his reaction to Makhachev dominating Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 and said:

"Oh my god, Islam. Who’s gonna beat Islam? I just don’t know who the hell can beat Islam. I don’t know if anybody can. F**king Islam vs Khamzat? At 185, f**k it. They’ve got very similar styles. Maybe Khamzat’s too big, but you can’t count Islam out. Imagine him going up to 185, champ-champ-champ."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.
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