Although no official date has been set for the Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena fight, it appears as though the bout will likely take place either in November at the Madison Square Garden, or in December in Las Vegas.
In the meantime, the MMA community has continued to debate how things will play out, with some fans confident that the welterweight champ will be able to sprawl and brawl, and others of the mindset that Makhachev’s grappling will be too much for JDM to handle.
During a recent video for his YouTube channel, where he sat down with Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya planted his flag on the side of the welterweight champ, predicting that Makhachev will struggle to keep up in scrambles.
“Ben Vickers (JDM’s coach) said he’s gonna knock him out and I believe him. I honestly believe him. Because I just think he’s (Makhachev) not gonna be able to handle him with scrambles or when he gets back up. … His scrambles are crazy, and I feel Islam will feel like he bit off more than he can chew once he gets in there with him. … I really think he’s is gonna get him, and I can’t wait till that happens. And wherever it is, I’m gonna be there.”
You can see his comments in the video below beginning at the 1:01:25 mark.
The pair have, of course, trained with JDM in the past, with Volk notably working with the champ ahead of his first title defense.
Alexander Volkanovski Weighs In on Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena Fight
Heading into the inevitable Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena fight, the expectation is that Makhachev will look to utilize his grappling, as well as the threat of the takedown, to open up his striking.
As Alexander Volkanovski explained during his sitdown with Israel Adesanya, JDM excels at reactively defending takedowns without shelling up in anticipation of takedown attempts.
“What I love about Jack Della and what he did with Belal is, you get people that are worried about the takedown so they don’t fight their fight on the feet. He’s, ‘I’m going to fight my fight and worry about the takedown when it’s there. And that’s perfect, you need to be like that.”
As Volkanovski explained, in his first fight with Islam Makhachev, once he realized that he could hang with the lightweight champ on the ground, he began to fight his fight instead of being hesitant while anticipating takedowns.
Dustin Poirier Believes The First Two Rounds Will Be Telling In Makhachev-JDM Fight
Prior to his retirement this past weekend in New Orleans, Dustin Poirier shared his thoughts on the upcoming Makhachev-JDM fight during an interview with MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn.
The way he sees things, the first two rounds will quickly show whether Makhachev is able to dictate the fight with his grappling, or whether JDM is able to defend takedowns and keep things on the feet.
As Poirier knows from experience, Makhachev is able to use the threat of the takedown to keep opponents from sitting down on punches and putting together extended combinations.
“I think we’ll find out in the first or second round how much trouble he has getting [Della Maddalena] down. I think if he gets those takedowns, he’s going to get the win. If Jack can stop those takedowns, he does have good takedown defense. … I think the boxing and the size could wear on Islam and give him some problems. But Islam’s striking is awkward and different. You have to worry so much about the takedown.”
With a win at 170, Makhachev will likely find himself back atop the UFC’s pound for pound ladder.
Adesanya Drops Prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena Fight