Jack Della Maddalena recently defeated a highly-ranked fighter on the pound-for-pound list. Now, his coach believes he can secure a knockout victory over the man currently holding the No. 1 spot.
Fresh off claiming the welterweight title by defeating Belal Muhammad last Saturday at UFC 315 in Montreal, Della Maddalena is now slated to fight Islam Makhachev, according to an announcement from UFC CEO Dana White. Makhachev will move up to the 170-pound division for this bout, vacating his lightweight title.
Makhachev holds an impressive 27-1 professional record, has achieved five consecutive UFC championship wins, and hasn`t suffered a loss in nearly a decade. Despite these facts, Della Maddalena`s coach, Ben Vickers, is not only confident his fighter will win but specifically predicts a finish inside the distance.
“I had a lot of time on my hands in the last few hours coming back from Canada and I watched a bit of footage on Makhachev,” Vickers told Submission Radio prior to the fight announcement. “In particular, the Dustin Poirier fight. I’ve never watched Makhachev before as a potential opponent. I’ve always just enjoyed him fighting because he’s brilliant to watch, but I think Jack will knock him out.”
Makhachev`s fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 saw “The Diamond” have moments of success during the bout before ultimately succumbing to Makhachev’s exceptional wrestling and submission game in the fifth round. Observing the successes Poirier had, Vickers believes Della Maddalena can capitalize on Makhachev’s weaknesses when they face off for Della Maddalena’s welterweight championship.
Vickers commented, “The first jab [Makhachev] took—Poirier only hit once in the first round—and the first jab he took, when he got the takedown afterwards, he was wincing and rubbing his eye. I just feel like he’s not used to taking damage. He’s not used to being in tough fights with someone pushing the pace. And he’s been knocked out before.”
He added, “Jack’s got size on him. Belal’s the perfect warmup fight if you’re going to fight Makhachev. But anyone, I see holes in them all, and I think Jack’s the complete package. Add to all of his skills, the chin, and then just the pure will and grit to get the job done. I feel very confident going into that fight.”
Given how frequently Makhachev utilizes his wrestling to control his fights, Vickers expects him to attempt the same approach against Della Maddalena. The Australian striker demonstrated significantly improved takedown defense against Muhammad, and Vickers will ensure Della Maddalena is fully prepared for an even stronger grappling attack from Makhachev.
Conversely, he doubts that any amount of preparation can adequately prepare Makhachev to deal with Della Maddalena’s striking abilities.
“One thousand percent,” Vickers affirmed when asked if he anticipates Makhachev immediately attempting takedowns against Della Maddalena. “You can’t learn to strike—say he’s been working on his striking for the last five years. Jack’s a thoroughbred striker. Whether you’ve been working on it for five years or not, you’re not going to catch up with Jack. He’ll break you down on the feet, especially when he’s bigger than you.”
“Makhachev’s is a lot more of a traditional striker than Belal is. Belal’s quite a hard puzzle to figure out because he doesn’t move in the same way as a boxer would or a kickboxer would necessarily, so good luck. Work more on your striking.”
It`s important to note that a specific date for the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev bout has not yet been set, but there are enough pay-per-view events scheduled for 2025 that it should comfortably find a slot. Let`s hope this fight materializes, as it is incredibly intriguing, particularly after Della Maddalena`s recent career-best performance.
I’ll state my prediction now: I believe JDM will win it.
