ISLAM MAKHACHEV and Jack Della Maddalena took part in a tense final face-off in front of a raucous crowd, which Dana White once again had to separate.
The pair will collide in the main event of a stacked UFC 322 card at Madison Square Garden early on Sunday morning.
Former pound-for-pound king Makhachev will bid to become a two-division champion by ending JDM’s brief reign as 170lbs king.
Della Maddalena, meanwhile, will look to make the first defence of the belt he won in May by bludgeoning Belal Muhammad.
The pair took part in a tense staredown after Thursday’s press conference.
UFC supremo Dana White had to step in and stop the pair from colliding after they made a second beeline for another.
And their final face-off at the ceremonial weigh-ins, which was greeted by a chorus of noise at MSG’s Hulu Theater, was equally as tense.
Chants of “Islam, Islam, Islam” could be heard from the Russian-heavy and pro-Makhachev crowd as the challenger – who hit 170lbs on the nose at the official weigh-ins – took to the scale.
There was, however, a smattering of cheers for the champion, who came out to a chorus of boos from the Makhachev faithful as he replicated his early-morning weigh-in of 169.8lbs.
JDM got into a fighting stance as he approached Makhachev, showing off his massive reach.
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Makhachev was unmoved and beckoned forward JDM the same way he did on Thursday.
But White was once again on hand to stop the pair from prematurely getting to grips with one another.
Victory over JDM will see Makhachev tie Anderson Silva’s legendary win 16-fight win streak.
It will also see him see him become the ninth male two-division champion in UFC history.
In his final pre-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Makhachev said: “One day to my dream.
“The biggest fight of my life. I’m ready, thank you all. See you tomorrow, Inshallah.”
A pumped-up JDM said through a chorus of boos: “Joe, I’m on top of the world.
“Tomorrow night, I’m gonna take my belt home. Australia, it’s coming home.”
