Split image of Jack Della Maddalena walking out of the Octagon at UFC 315, Islam Makhachev with title at UFC 311. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Minas Panagiotakis via Getty Images

Top UFC star predicts Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev, wants face-off with UFC 322 winner

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow
By Christopher De Santiago | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 6:41 PM ET

Does Jack Della Maddalena have what it takes to beat Islam Makhachev?

We’ll find out soon enough in the main event of UFC 322.

Last week, UFC CEO Dana White announced former pound-for-pound king Makhachev would be moving up a weight class to challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

Still months out from UFC 322, stars like former champion Robert Whittaker are already locking in their picks for the next welterweight title fight.

A high-ranking welterweight contender also left his prediction for Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev, hoping to meet the winner in the Octagon after.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Sean Brady picks Jack Della Maddalena over Islam Makhachev at UFC 322

#2-ranked UFC welterweight Sean Brady can’t be that far off from a title fight after he became the first fighter to submit ex-champ Leon Edwards in March.

Looking ahead to JDM vs. Makhachev, Brady explains why he believes the belt stays with the champion Della Maddalena.

“Think it’s a lot tougher of a fight for Islam than people are giving Jack credit for,” Brady said on UFC Unfiltered.

“Jack’s very hard to hold down. He’s a big body, hits like a freight train, has knockout power, and he showed, getting someone down doesn’t mean d—. Can you hold them down?” Brady continued.

“Jack’s really good at creating scrambles, getting back to his feet, separating hands, and we’ve seen that with Belal. Gilbert [Burns] did better at taking Jack down than Belal did. He had better positions on him, but, yeah, I don’t know.

“Selfishly for me, I would want Islam to win because I wanna fight Islam for a legacy thing. And I think I can beat Islam,” Brady stated.

“I think I can beat anybody in the world. I want my grappling to go against his grappling and see who’s better. I really would love for that to play out.

“But, if I had to pick, and I know Jack would be the underdog, I would pick Jack,” Brady revealed his official prediction for the UFC 322 main event.

Sean Brady wants to fight at UFC 322 so he can get a face-off with main event winner

Brady hasn’t had any luck finding a fight after Leon Edwards earlier this year.

Outranked only by the champion and #1 contender Belal Muhammad, Brady says he’d fight anyone from Muhammad to Shavkat Rakhmonov to Ian Machado Garry for a title opportunity.

“I’m hoping that we can fight at Madison Square Garden because that’s when Jack Della [Maddalena] and Islam are fighting,” Brady said of when he’d like to return.

“It’d be nice to be on that same card.

“Obviously, we fight, I win, of course, and then I get to go into the cage and face off with the winner.

“That’s what I would hope for,” Brady said of a potential Octagon face-off with either Della Maddalena or Makhachev.

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

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