On November 15th, Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena will collide at Madison Square Garden in one of the most anticipated superfights of the year, and fans are expecting a proper scrap! With both fighters bringing distinct advantages to the table, the matchup is shaping up to be a real chess match. However, most of the wagers have been leaning toward the Dagestani former champ. According to FanDuel, Makhachev is currently a -265 favorite to win this bout, mainly because of his immense grappling prowess.

And it’s not just the fans who believe Islam will hold the edge on the mat. In an interview with Full Violence, Charles Oliveira expressed a similar thought about the former lightweight kingpin moving up in weight to face ‘JDM’.  He said, “Now, he’s going to be much stronger. It’s a game where you just have to grab him [Maddalena] and put him down,” implying that Islam’s added size could make him even more dangerous. But with just 11 days left until UFC 322, Jack Della Maddalena revealed that Islam’s grappling won’t be a problem for him. The Aussie believes he’s ready to surprise everyone with his takedown defense. 

Jack Della Maddalena is not afraid of Islam Makhachev’s grappling 

In an interview with Main Event, the reigning welterweight champion said, “I think maybe the grappling, maybe. I think in his best mind, he’d be thinking, take me down, hold me down, submit me. But I think, yeah, in the grappling, I’ll be able to surprise him. I believe I have the right techniques for his A-game, and I think I’ll throw him off a bit.”

Islam Makhachev is one of the best grapplers the UFC has ever seen. No doubt about it. But it’s also fair to say that Jack Della Maddalena has become quite the anti-wrestler himself. The Aussie showed impressive sprawls against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, where he managed to get back up even after being taken down, and continued landing heavy strikes. He looked even better against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, fending off 6 of the former champ’s 9 takedown attempts and completely outclassing him on the feet to capture the 170 lbs gold. 

With that in mind, ‘JDM’ believes he’ll be able to surprise Islam on the feet as well when they meet inside the Octagon. He added in his Main Event interview, “I think if you’re staying calm in there, they underestimate how much that can throw them off. And I think on the feet, I’ll be spending a lot of this fight there, and I’ll be able to surprise him.” 

It’s true that Jack Della Maddalena has built his reputation on being incredibly hard to keep down on the mat, and that mostly comes down to his skill set. But with Craig Jones and Islam’s former opponent, Alexander Volkanovski, in his corner, the Aussie also has some serious intel on Makhachev, making him an even more formidable challenge.

As we get closer to MSG, the tension between these two stylistic masters keeps heating up. While Islam remains the clear favorite, ‘JDM’ is quietly gaining support, especially from a Liverpudlian who’s furious with the Dagestani former champ for his recent comments.  

Paddy Pimblett fires back at the former lightweight champ 

While Islam Makhachev moved up to chase another belt in the welterweight division, his vacated lightweight title was captured by Ilia Topuria. Now, with ‘El Matador’ holding the throne, a showdown between him and Paddy Pimblett has quickly turned into one of the most anticipated grudge matches in the lightweight division. However, the former champ strongly disagreed with the idea of ‘The Baddy’ becoming the next challenger, 

Islam Makhachev was taking shots at Pimblett and claiming his win over Chandler wasn’t enough to earn a title shot. And that rubbed the Liverpudlian the wrong way. In response, Paddy Pimblett fired back by siding with ‘JDM’ to win the UFC 322 headliner. During an interview with UFC Europe, he said, “I don’t know how I see it playing out, but I hope ‘JDM’ absolutely punches his little head in. I hope JDM batters him. I think JDM is a much better boxer, and if he can keep it on the feet, then he’ll absolutely batter him, and I hope he does.” But Paddy didn’t stop there. 

‘The Baddy’ also reignited his beef with Makhachev, reminding fans of what the Dagestani had said about him. He added, “Islam was chatting pony the other day, saying who have I beat? He got a title shot at lightweight off beating Bobby Green, someone I beat faster than you, you little bum. So how about that, Islam? Get back down to lightweight and I’ll punch your head in as well.”

Well, things have definitely heated up between Paddy and Islam. As the two keep trading verbal jabs, only time will tell if they ever get the chance to settle it inside the cage. And that could depend heavily on the outcome of UFC 322.

That said, do you think ‘JDM’ can actually stop Makhachev’s dominant run at MSG with his takedown defense and force him to go back to his old division? Let us know in the comments below.