The year-end MMA schedule is stacked, with Jack Della Maddalena set to make his first title defense against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in November. The Dagestani star vacated his lightweight belt before UFC 317 to chase his dream of becoming a two-division champion before retirement. Makhachev’s move came only after the result of Della Maddalena against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, owing to the former champ’s association with Team Khabib.
In that fight, the Aussie showcased his striking, dismantling the Palestinian-American on the feet and earning a decisive win to capture the welterweight strap. Now, less than two months away from his clash with Makhachev in New York City, Della Maddalena has already begun mapping out his strategy. This time, the 170-pound champ says he has no plans of leaving the outcome in the judges’ hands.
Jack Della Maddalena Expects Islam Makhachev to Rely on Grappling Early at UFC 322
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, the Aussie star made it clear that he plans to go for the finish right from the opening bell against Islam Makhachev.
He said, “I’m gonna go for it. I would love [it], obviously, that’d be the best case scenario to get the finish. I can see it happening, and I can see it blowing the roof off MSG, taking out the pound-for-pound number one with no doubts. A finish would be the dream.”
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The welterweight champion acknowledged that Makhachev won’t repeat Muhammad’s mistake in Montreal by standing and trading with him. Instead, he expects the Dagestani to lean on his grappling.
He explained, “They’re different fighters, different challenges. Obviously, there’s some similarities within the grappling style, but I definitely look at Islam as a completely different challenge – more of a finishing ability, more powerful on the feet, so different challenge, and I’m excited for it.”
While he anticipates some early striking exchanges, Della Maddalena predicts Makhachev will waste little time looking to wrestle.
He predicted, “I think he’ll probably try getting on wrestling early, I’d imagine. Looking back at the Belal fight, he probably sees that Belal’s mistake was maybe not getting on the wrestling early. Yeah, expecting the first round to be getting into some grappling exchanges.”
Moving up to welterweight may appear to put Makhachev at a disadvantage against the naturally bigger Della Maddalena, but the Australian champion is preparing for the toughest version of the Dagestani grappler to date. JDM believes that not having to cut down to lightweight could actually make Makhachev stronger and more dangerous inside the Octagon.
He explained that while weight cuts can sometimes slow a fighter down, he expects Makhachev to be more filled out and physically imposing at 170 pounds, potentially offering the best version of the former lightweight champion fans have ever seen.
In contrast, Khabib Nurmagomedov has already labeled Della Maddalena as the most difficult challenge of his protege’s career. Both fighters enter UFC 322 on impressive streaks: Makhachev has the chance to equal Anderson Silva’s legendary 16-fight UFC winning run, while Della Maddalena has remained unbeaten in his last 18 bouts after starting his professional career with two losses.
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The matchup also carries high pound-for-pound stakes. Della Maddalena currently sits at No. 8 in the global rankings, while Makhachev holds the No. 2 spot. A dominant win for either fighter could strengthen their claim as the very best in the world.
