Islam Makhachev’s game plan against Jack Della Maddalena is no secret.
After months of speculation, Dana White officially announced on Thursday that ‘JDM’ will put his welterweight world title on the line for the very first time against Makhachev at UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden.
Shortly after Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad to claim the 170-pound crown in May, Makhachev vacated his lightweight title, determined to move up and etch his name in the history books as one of the few fighters in UFC history to hold gold in two different weight classes.
Speaking with Submission Radio shortly after White’s announcement, Della Maddalena’s coach, Ben Vickers, offered some insight into how ‘JDM’ plans to handle Makhachev’s wrestle-heavy attack.
“He’s not going to rush and be running at Jack’s hips, but he is going to try and get a hold of Jack as quickly as possible. Even if it’s just to try and tire him out in the early parts of the fight and get him into his world quickly, he will take damage from Jack if he’s on the feet.
“I’m sure he’s going to not want to be there for as long as possible. We’ve all heard Khabib in the corner really chastising Islam when he doesn’t go for the takedown. I definitely think there’s going to be a lot of input from Khabib in trying to get Islam to shoot the takedown often and early. But there’s going to be no rush and no panic.”
How will Della Maddalena’s takedown defense hold up against Makhachev?
Despite a solid 69% takedown defense inside the Octagon, Della Maddalena has struggled with staying upright at times. Against Muhammad, he surrendered three out of nine total attempts from the ex-titleholder.
Before that, ‘JDM’ was taken down seven times in his UFC 299 clash with Gilbert Burns, though he ultimately went on to win the bout via a third-round TKO.
Can Della Maddalena fend off the relentless grappling of the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in NYC? Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.
