“I would like to be a defending champion. I like seeing a champion at least beat a lot of top-10 guys before moving up in division. I respect what Islam did. I think he moved up the rankings at a fortunate time. He did a good job in lightweight. Cleared the division, moved up. I will try to defend my belt a few times before I even think about changing divisions.
A fight in middleweight? Yes, of course. I have always wanted to fight Khamzat Chimaev someday. If my career goes well, it would be a good challenge,” Della Maddalena is quoted by the New York Post.
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Pimblett predicted Della Maddalena's fight with Makhachev