Can Della Maddalena Beat Makhachev?

UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena is confident of beating Islam Makhachev, believing the latter is “too little” for him.

Della Maddalena, fresh off his unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 to claim the welterweight belt, believes that size will be a crucial factor. He referenced Makhachev’s first fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. While Makhachev won by unanimous decision, Volkanovski hurt Islam with his striking despite being the smaller man. Islam will move up from welterweight in hopes of becoming a two-division champion, but Volk’s showing has given Della Maddalena the belief he can win.

“It’s a dream first title defense. Pound-for-pound number one, get it back for Volk. We saw what Volk did to him. I’m gonna get him. He’s too little. He’s too little, I’m going to get him,” Maddalena said

Those comments may have some credence. Maddalena is known for being a precise striker with excellent boxing fundamentals. He throws crisp combinations, targets the body effectively, and has a knack for finding openings. His MMA record showed that, as 12 of his 18 MMA wins have come by way of knockout. 

Maddalena is also known for his relentless attacks to the body, wearing down his opponents, depleting their gas tank. That will also help Della Maddalena, who has shown significant improvements in his takedown defense. He was able to defend against Belal Muhammad, who is considered one of the best grapplers. While Belal did not help himself by engaging in more striking than he should have, Maddalena still held his own. 

Maddalena holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, providing him with a solid understanding of submissions and positional escapes, making him dangerous even if taken down. He has a submission win to his name, securing a submission win at UFC 284 against Randy Brown. 

Dustin Poirier, who recently fought Makhachev, stated that Islam’s striking is “awkward and different.” That impacts the way opponents fight because they’re constantly worrying about the takedowns. Della Maddalena’s strong boxing could allow him to exploit any gaps, leaving him with more than enough of a chance of winning.