Jack Della Maddalena has a secret weapon in his bid to defeat Islam Makhachev.
Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently became the UFC welterweight champion after defeating Belal Muhammad in the main event at UFC 315 in Montreal. Following UFC President Dana White’s announcement that Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) will vacate his lightweight title and move up to 170 pounds, it now appears all but certain that the two will meet in a massive champ-vs.-champ superfight.
As he begins preparing for the biggest fight of his career, Della Maddalena revealed that he plans to lean on fellow Australian UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski—the reigning featherweight titleholder—for advice.
Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) faced Makhachev twice in 2023, losing a narrow decision at UFC 284 before being knocked out by the Dagestani in their rematch at UFC 294.
Della Maddalena has trained alongside his countryman on numerous occasions, and during an interview this week on The West Sport Show, the 28-year-old said he will definitely be seeking Volkanovski’s guidance as he prepares to face Makhachev.
“Yeah, 100%. I definitely plan (on working with Volkanovski)”, Della Maddalena said. “After the last two fights, I've spent a bit of time in Wollongong. So yeah, I think probably the first stop, we go to Wollongong, talk to Volk, see what he reckons.”
One coach who has worked closely with both Della Maddalena and Volkanovski in recent years is submission grappling expert Craig Jones. Jones, who was part of Volkanovski’s training camps as he prepared to face Makhachev in 2023, was also in Della Maddalena’s corner at UFC 315. The welterweight champion revealed that Jones will play an integral role in his preparations for this fight.
“Yeah, he's a legend, you know”, Della Maddalena said of Jones. “Obviously a master grappler. He's helped Volk out a lot. And yeah, just small details he's just helped us with pretty much. Just small details that make a big difference. I think he definitely helped me a lot. And yeah, he will help out. Obviously, he's prepared for Islam twice. Helped Volk out, I believe, that first fight to really stifle his strong suit, which is the grappling. So we'll be using Craig again. Yeah, he'll be there to help us out for sure.”
