Islam Makhachev’s Biggest Risk in Jack Della Maddalena Title Fight Gamble Revealed

There is a huge crisis awaiting Islam Makhachev if he were to lose against welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in his next fight.

Islam Makhachev’s Biggest Risk in Jack Della Maddalena Title Fight Gamble Revealed

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev to happen later this year (via X/Imago)

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With main event fights for UFC 320 and UFC 321 all set, the attention now moves to UFC 322. This PPV is scheduled for November, and could feature the much-anticipated title fight between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena. For so long, Makhachev has spoken about his two-weight championship dreams. However, if the dreams turn into nightmare, the future will become a difficult road.

At least, this is what the Dagestani star’s coach, Javier Mendez, is feeling. Islam Makhachev vacated his lightweight title to fight for the welterweight gold. This means that he cannot just go back to the lightweight title around his waist if the Dagestani fighter loses to JDM. As such, the upcoming title opportunity against JDM could become a gamble for Makhachev.

JDM is a very dangerous individual. We better come at it correctly, otherwise there is no next — you have to climb the ladder again.

Javier Mendez via MMA Junkie

The coach’s thinking is exactly what lightweight champion Ilia Topuria was saying some weeks earlier. ‘El Matador’ said that the former champion would need to ‘get in a line‘ if the Dagestani star would lose the fight against JDM. This certainly adds another layer of difficulty for Makhachev as he might not fight for the title if he loses his welterweight title fight.

Such was not the case for Max Holloway or Alexander Volkanovski when they moved up to fight for their two-weight dreams at UFC 236 and UFC 284, respectively. Holloway and Volk didn’t vacate their belts when they moved up a weight class. Despite facing a loss, both of them returned to their weight classes and defended their featherweight belts.

However, there is a possibility that Dana White might book a lightweight title fight for Makhachev regardless of whether he loses his upcoming fight. After all, Topuria vs. Makhachev remains the most hyped matchups that the promotion could book right now. Plus, the Dagestani star has opened up as the betting favorite against ‘El Matador.’

Welterweight star issues warning to Islam Makhachev about Jack Della Maddalena

After outboxing Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Jack Della Maddalena might just have the best striking game in the welterweight division. Islam Makhachev cannot take the fight lightly as Muhammad tried his best to outwrestle JDM. The Australian, however, had different plans. Not only did he successfully defend the takedown attempts, but his scrambles on the ground helped him sneak out of dangerous positions.

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev soon
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev soon (via X)

This could help JDM in his upcoming fight against Makhachev. JDM’s coach, Craig Jones, revealed that they intended on getting rid of Dagestani domination in the UFC. One particular welterweight star, Randy Brown, recently spoke about the Australian can surprise his opponents.

When I first fought JDM, he cracked me early. The plan was to come out fast—don’t hit him hard, just touch him, get in his head. I was even slapping him, landed like 20 shots in the first round. But what impressed me was how composed he stayed. Most guys back off when you start like that. Not him—he stayed calm, stuck to his game…Amazing boxing, no tells, sharp eyes. Props to him.

Randy Brown via JAXXON Podcast

Composure remains one of the best characteristic of Della Maddalena. Certain fighters crumble under the intense grappling pressure of their opponents. Leon Edwards crumbled once Muhammad and Sean Brady intensified their wrestling. So far, JDM has yet to crumble under pressure.

An argument could be made that he was losing to Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. Despite Burns finding success with takedowns, the Australian regularly attempted to scramble his way out of trouble. Eventually, one such scramble led to his TKO win. As such, Brown’s statement suggest that the Dagestani star must be vary of JDM all throughout the fight as the Aussie fighter will look to put his lights out.

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