The defending champion rarely plays the B-side, but that's where Jack Della Maddalena finds himself against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 . Makhachev enters Saturday's pay-per-view main event as the favorite, but counting out the welterweight champ feels like a mistake. He has a better chance to beat Makhachev than most.

Makhachev's legacy is the leading narrative for UFC's return to New York City. The record-setting lightweight champion and active pound-for-pound king moves up in weight to chase a second divisional crown and, with it, an entry into the GOAT conversation. But the shadow Makhachev casts clouds judgment about the man already wearing gold.

"I've got everything to prove. But I like it that way," Della Maddalena told MMA Fighting . "It gives me more motivation. A lot of d

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