Israel Adesanya is backing Jack Della Maddalena to knock out Islam Makhachev this Saturday night.
Della Maddalena (18-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is set to face former lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden this weekend. Many experts are picking Makhachev to win due to his elite-level grappling.
However, former UFC middleweight champion Adesanya is going against the grain and believes that “JDM” will be more than capable of neutralizing the threat of Makhachev’s wrestling inside the Octagon.
“I'm not trying to count Islam out, but I just know Jack,” Adesanya said in a video posted to his YouTube account. “I know that when Jack keeps getting up, it's gonna be a problem, and Islam is gonna be forced to strike. When he's forced to strike with Jack, he's gonna get hurt. Islam, I think, is the best of the Dagestanis, one of the best fighters in history, one of the most efficient, but when it comes to Jack…”
Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion when he submitted Charles Oliveira in 2022. He held the belt until earlier this year, when he decided to vacate it and move up to 170 pounds.
During his lightweight title reign, Makhachev also notched wins over Dustin Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski (twice). However, Adesanya believes there were telltale signs in those victories that give him confidence in Della Maddalena’s chances of pulling off an upset this Saturday.
“Even Dustin (was) able to get up and like stop his submissions, and Dustin's a fucking gun,” “The Last Stylebender” said. “Also, I've seen live what Volk can do (to) Islam when they were in Perth, so that's why I know (Jack’s) gonna hurt Islam. I think Islam will be able to get him down, but for how long? It's not for long and also he's gonna get stuffed from the beginning, in the middle, till Jack ends it in this fight. I really think that Jack Della Maddalena has the skills to stifle Islam's game and be able to just put (it on him) on the feet and knock him out. Might be second round.”
