Islam Makhachev Just Grapplefucked The UFC Welterweight Championship Outta Jack Della Maddalena

What a night. Islam Makhachev just showed that moving up a weight class ain't a problem for him like it was Weili Zhang in the co-main, as he dethroned Jack Della Maddalena without even breaking a sweat.

Half of the first round was spent on the feet, where it looked pretty even, but as soon as Islam shot for a takedown and got it - which made the crowd ERUPT with cheers - JDM was on his back helplessly fighting for air. Makhachev threatened a rear naked choke and a guillotine on the ground, but never came close to actually getting anything there. It was more of the same in the second and third, with Islam dragging Jack down to the deep waters after a while and just laying on top of him til the horn sounded. 

At this point it started to feel pretty reminiscent of Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus Du Plessis back in August, with the challenger dominating and grapplefucking his way to a championship at this level. And it's a bit of a weird vibe in arena when that happens, because there's just not much to cheer for no matter who you're rooting for. Like Valentina's win in the co-main event, as impressive as it was, it just wasn't the highlight reel/crowd pop builder that some of the knockouts on this card were.

JDM looked real hesitant in the fourth and fifth rounds, just clearly dreading and anticipating the takedown - which of course came, and was successful within moments. He honestly just looked mentally broken at that point, and who could blame him? Fighting that relentless style of Islam Makhachev seems like the most frustrating way you could possibly spend 25 minutes on a Saturday night. 

Who knows who will be Islam's first challenger at 170 - it could be Kamaru Usman, Michael Morales, Carlos Prates; hell, it could even be Shavkat Rakhmonov given the right circumstances. It'll probably wind up being one of those first three names, though. At this point I think there's a real argument that his legacy is greater than Khabib's, whether the casuals realize that or not.