We are just over a week away from perhaps the biggest fight of the year at UFC 322. Islam Makhachev will be taking on former rival Alexander Volkanovski’s training partner, Jack Della Maddalena, who wants to beat the Dagestan native to get one back for the 2-time featherweight champion. The Aussie star will be putting his title on the line for the first time, and he’s got Craig Jones‘s help to make sure he keeps it.

Craig Jones had previously helped out Alexander Volkanovski in his preparations for the UFC 284 fight against Islam Makhachev. ‘The Great’ succumbed to a decision loss, but he took the former lightweight champion to the limit. Now, both Jones and Volkanovski have joined Jack Della Maddalena for his UFC 322 preparations, and Makhachev may want to hear what the champion has to say.

Jack Della Maddalena praises Craig Jones as a coach ahead of the Islam Makhachev fight

During a conversation with Israel Adesanya, Jack Della Maddalena revealed that his UFC 322 camp did not involve new training partners or coaches, except for Craig Jones. “It’s much the same team as usual. We’ve got Craig Jones coming in, I think, next week. He’s going to help us out, like, he obviously knows grappling, like, the intricate details of grappling,” Jack Della Maddalena stated on YouTube.

The welterweight champion believes that to beat Islam Makhachev, the ground game skills he possesses won’t be enough. The Dagestan native is properly a wrestler, which makes him well-versed in the many ways his opponents could try to cancel out his wrestling. For that, Maddalena asserted that he’s got some new tricks up his sleeve, which he plans to make more effective under the tutelage of Craig Jones.

“We’re just working on different stuff. Sort of, I think, like, fighting those [fighters like Makhachev], you’ve got to sort of think outside the box… Makhachev’s seen it all. So, you’ve got to think a little bit outside the box,” Jack Della Maddalena further stated. “I’ve got some things that I think will work well. I think Craig will come over and help us out.”

Craig Jones, meanwhile, posted a video on YouTube over a week ago, boldly claiming that the Dagestani style of wrestling is not native to Islam Makhachev’s hometown. Instead, he believes they copied Georges St-Pierre’s Canadian wrestling. When Adesanya asked for Jack Della Maddalena’s opinion on this, he simply said that the only way to beat Makhachev’s wrestling is continuous movement.

“When Islam gets on top, a lot of guys just stop moving, and they sort of take the time and… when you take that time, he’s already on to the next bit. He’s like pushing you down… So yeah, never stop moving,” the welterweight champion added. In another interview, Maddalena also revealed that training under Jones has been extremely helpful in his evolution as a fighter.

Maddalena speaks about the benefits of training with Jones

Jack Della Maddalena has been busy with his media obligations ahead of the biggest fight of his career, and he has talked about Craig Jones in more than one interview. While talking to FOX Sports Australia, he claimed that training under the BJJ expert has worked well.

“It’s awesome [training with Craig Jones]. He’s obviously like expert grappler, and a really good coach. So, it’s like it’s hard work, like, he’s putting on hard work, but I definitely feel like iron sharpens iron,” said Jack Della Maddalena. “So, you know, training with someone like him, definitely, I feel like I’ve been getting better every day. Every session I do with him, I feel like I improve.”

Alexander Volkanovski almost beat Islam Makhachev, but can Jack Della Maddalena finish the job? Well, there are fans on both sides of the spectrum, with some saying he’s going to finish the Dagestan native, while others are picking Makhachev. The oddsmakers have placed Maddalena as the underdog, but that doesn’t always tell the whole story. What do you reckon?