Jack Della Maddalena recently defeated a fighter ranked high on the pound-for-pound list. Now, his coach believes he can achieve a knockout victory against the man who currently holds the number one spot.
Just after claiming the welterweight title by defeating Belal Muhammad this past Saturday at UFC 315 in Montreal, Della Maddalena is now set to face Islam Makhachev. Makhachev will vacate his lightweight title to move up to the 170-pound division for this future bout, according to an announcement from UFC CEO Dana White.
Makhachev boasts an impressive 27-1 professional record, has secured five consecutive UFC championship wins, and has not lost a fight in nearly a decade. However, none of this deters Della Maddalena`s coach, Ben Vickers, who is not only confident his fighter will win but predicts the fight will end inside the distance.
Prior to the official announcement of the Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev fight, Vickers told Submission Radio, “I had a lot of time on my hands in the last several hours coming back from Canada, and I watched some footage of Makhachev. Specifically, the [Dustin] Poirier fight. I`ve never watched Makhachev before as a potential opponent. I`ve always just enjoyed watching him because he`s brilliant, but I think Jack will knock him out.”
Makhachev`s bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 saw “The Diamond” land significant moments before ultimately succumbing to Makhachev`s exceptional wrestling and submission game in the fifth round. Witnessing Poirier`s flashes of success, Vickers believes Della Maddalena can capitalize on Makhachev`s weaknesses when they compete for Della Maddalena`s welterweight belt.
Vickers commented, “The first jab [Makhachev] took—Poirier only landed once in the first round—and the first jab he took, when he got the takedown afterward, 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 has size on him. Belal is the perfect warm-up fight if you`re going to fight Makhachev. But in anyone, I see holes, and I think Jack is the complete package. Add his skills, his chin, and then just the pure will and grit to get the job done. I feel very confident going into that fight.”
Given Makhachev`s frequent reliance on wrestling to control fights, Vickers anticipates he will attempt similar tactics against Della Maddalena. The Australian striker demonstrated significantly improved takedown defense against Muhammad, and Vickers intends to ensure Della Maddalena is prepared for an even more intense grappling challenge from Makhachev.
Conversely, Vickers expressed skepticism that Makhachev could adequately prepare to handle Della Maddalena`s striking abilities.
When asked if he expects Makhachev to immediately seek takedowns, Vickers replied, “One thousand percent. You can`t learn to strike—even if he`s been working on his striking for the last five years. Jack is a natural striker. Whether you`ve been working on it for five years or not, you`re not going to catch up with Jack. He`ll pick you apart on the feet, especially when he`s bigger than you.”
Vickers further commented on the striking contrast: “Makhachev is much more of a traditional striker than Belal. Belal is quite a difficult puzzle to solve because he doesn`t move like a typical boxer or kickboxer necessarily, so good luck. Work more on your striking.”
It is important to note that a specific date for the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev fight has not yet been announced. However, there are enough remaining pay-per-view events in 2025 for it to comfortably find a spot. Hopes are high that this highly anticipated and intriguing matchup, particularly after Della Maddalena`s career-best performance, will indeed happen.
Vickers concluded by stating, “I`ll say it now: I`ve got JDM winning it.”
Marcus Blakely