“What he’s done, I think he deserves a title shot if he wants to step up,” said newly crowned UFC welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena last week. Showcasing his elite striking skills, the Aussie not only dethroned the American-Palestinian Belal Muhammad but also inflicted serious damage—breaking the former champ’s orbital bone and splitting his lip in two. It was a level of dominance few expected in Belal’s first title defense.
With ‘Remember The Name’ out of the picture, the door now appears open for Islam Makhachev to make his long-anticipated move up to welterweight—a move the reigning lightweight champion has already expressed interest in as he eyes a second title. Jack Della Maddalena welcomed the potential matchup, calling it a “beautiful challenge.” Yet despite JDM’s brutal performance against Muhammad, many fans and analysts still favor the pound-for-pound king Makhachev if the two were to meet inside the Octagon. But the Australian doesn’t share that sentiment.
In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Della Maddalena made a confident prediction when asked how a fight between him and Makhachev would play out. “I think I’m going to take him out. Take him out, I think. Belal really walks, changes stances—there’s a lot of movement. But I think if I can have someone that just stays in the same stance… and I don’t think Islam’s a very good striker, I think I could land a lot of shots, and I think I could take him out,” Della Maddalena said.
But Della Maddalena hadn’t finished yet. He went even further, boldly claiming that after he’s finished with Makhachev, he’ll send him straight to Alexander Volkanovski—so his teammate can exact revenge for the knockout loss he suffered at UFC 284.
When Helwani asked, “Do you think he’ll stick around at 170, or do you think it’s just…,” Jack responded without hesitation: “I think it’ll be one fight, and then he’ll probably have to go back down because of how it’ll go, yeah.”
Such confident remarks have certainly raised eyebrows, especially since they’re aimed at the reigning pound-for-pound king. Makhachev, who defended his title for a record fourth time at UFC 311, is currently riding an impressive 15-fight win streak and has finished nine of his last opponents. Whether Della Maddalena can back up his words remains to be seen—but Islam Makhachev’s coach has already fired back with an eye-opening response to the surging Aussie. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.
Islam Makhachev’s coach sends warning to Jack Della Maddalena
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