Jack Della Maddalena on stage at the UFC 305 Q&A session, inset Islam Makhachev speaks backstage at the UFC 311 ceremonial weigh-ins. Credit: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jack Della Maddalena’s coach claims he’ll do the UFC a favor by ‘getting rid’ of Islam Makhachev despite current dispute

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 2:56 PM ET

A lot of fans and fellow fighters praised Jack Della Maddalena’s grappling improvements in his last fight.

While Belal Muhammad still believes that he won at UFC 315, the judges didn’t see it that way as Della Maddalena was crowned the welterweight champion.

His first title defense will see him face the former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who some think is taking a big risk in moving up a division.

Facing the former pound-for-pound number one is obviously a big challenge but the defending champion has a not so secret weapon in his corner.

Elite grappler Craig Jones could be the key to beating Makhachev, even if he is currently butting heads with the UFC.

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Craig Jones says the UFC is in a ‘catch-22’ because they don’t like him but he’s doing them a favor

Following the MMA leader’s recent investment into submission grappling via UFC BJJ, the promotion is now a rival of Craig Jones’ CJI.

There has been some tension which the often outspoken Jones has no problem talking about, but he doesn’t believe that this will impact his role as a coach.

Having helped Jack Della Maddalena prepare for Belal Muhammad, the former IBJJF champion spoke highly of his fellow Aussie’s grappling.

Jones also has previous experience of being part of a camp to fight Islam Makhachev, having also helped out Alexander Volkanovski.

When he was asked during an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show about his relationship with the UFC, Jones claimed that while they may not see eye-to-eye, he’s also doing them a favor by helping to take out the promotion’s wrestling-focused fighters.

“UFC hates me, but they also hate Dagestani wrestlers and Jack Della is fighting Islam Makhachev. So they’re in a catch-22. They’re like, ‘F— we hate this guy but we hate these wrestlers as well.’ So, I think they want me… I helped them get rid of Belal. Hold on a bit longer guys, we’ll get rid of Islam Makhachev for you.”

Craig Jones turned down the UFC’s offer to feature on UFC BJJ

The UFC launched their new BJJ promotion via a reality series which culminated in the first event during International Fight Week.

Mikey Musumeci and Rerisson Gabriel served as coaches for the series before they faced off in the inaugural bantamweight title fight.

During his interview, Craig Jones revealed that he turned down the UFC’s offer to be one of the coaches and compete against Musumeci at the end.

“They made an offer. I thought it was not a fair offer for the time commitment and what I would have to give away in terms of the exclusivity type of deal there. So, I really did turn it down and I went with FloGrappling instead.”

Jones also stated that he didn’t like the idea of facing Musumeci, who is significantly smaller than him, when explaining why he wasn’t sold on the idea.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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