Islam Makhachev was surprised by how easily he was able to control Jack Della Maddalena on the ground when they fought recently.
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) dethroned Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 322 in November, capturing the UFC welterweight title in his first appearance at 170 pounds. The Dagestani dominated “JDM” over five rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York, repeatedly taking the Australian down and overpowering him on the canvas.
After moving up from 155 pounds where he had held the lightweight title since 2022, Makhachev’s ability to impose his trademark wrestling against a larger opponent surprised many fans. However, he insists that studying Della Maddalena’s title-winning performance at UFC 315 earlier in the year paid dividends when they finally met inside the Octagon on November 15.
“We studied our opponent and watched his previous fights,” Makhachev told Match TV. “Before fighting me, he faced Belal (Muhammad) who also has strong wrestling. Belal was taking him down but Della Maddalena did a good job of getting back to his feet each time, but every time he got up, he did it using the same move, the same reversal.
“When I took him down and saw him try to use that same reversal on me, I was already prepared for it and defended it. That’s when I realized that he had nothing else besides that move. I thought: ‘You don’t have any other ways to get back to your feet?’ That’s when I understood that he was going to be there for a long time.”
Makhachev’s win over Della Maddalena was his 6th title fight victory in a row across both the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Having vacated the 155-pound belt earlier in the year in order to move up a weight class, he insists he is here to stay at 170 pounds.
