Ali Akbar RosadyNew York City prepares for a pivotal night in mixed martial arts as UFC 322 approaches, featuring a championship clash that pits the reigning welterweight king, Jack Della Maddalena, against the formidable lightweight titleholder, Islam Makhachev. The event’s main narrative has largely centered on Makhachev’s ambitious pursuit of a second divisional crown, positioning Della Maddalena in an unusual role for a champion: the betting underdog. Despite this assessment, insights from within the sport suggest that writing off the Australian welterweight champion would be a premature judgment.
Makhachev’s impending challenge to secure a second divisional title at UFC 322 underscores a broader ambition to solidify his place in the sport’s all-time greatest discussions. The Dagestani fighter arrives in New York with a record-setting lightweight reign, having surpassed notable figures such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Benson Henderson in title defenses before vacating his belt to ascend to welterweight. This highly anticipated move casts a significant shadow, potentially influencing perceptions of Della Maddalena’s capabilities despite his own championship pedigree.
Jack Della Maddalena, acknowledging the prevailing sentiment, expressed a defiant perspective on his underdog status. "I’ve got everything to prove. But I like it that way," Della Maddalena stated in an interview with MMA Fighting. He elaborated on the motivation derived from being underestimated: "It gives me more motivation. A lot of drive to prove I’m the champion and then solidify my spot as the top guy. I’m definitely the underdog. I feel like a little bit I’m being written off. Come fight night, and after the fight, I think there’s going to be a lot of different opinions on it."
The disparity in public perception largely stems from Della Maddalena’s relatively recent ascent to the welterweight throne compared to Makhachev’s established dominance. While Della Maddalena’s victory over Belal Muhammad secured his championship, Muhammad’s often-criticized grinding style and polarizing public image have sometimes overshadowed his legitimate talent and the convincing nature of Della Maddalena’s performance. Conversely, Makhachev’s reputation is built on an unblemished run through the lightweight division, marked by a suffocating grappling game that has dismantled a series of elite contenders. His legacy as an active pound-for-pound king and a record-holder for lightweight title defenses has cemented his status as one of the sport’s most revered athletes.
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Makhachev’s grappling-heavy approach, characteristic of fighters from the Dagestani region, presents a perennial challenge for pure strikers. The conventional wisdom suggests that size advantages often aid strikers against grapplers moving up in weight, but Della Maddalena himself has conceded that he anticipates only a marginal size benefit against Makhachev. The primary concern, according to analysts, will not be Makhachev’s power at welterweight, but his capacity for control and positional dominance.
A comparative analysis of their most recent title defenses offers some strategic insights. Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title against elite striker Dustin Poirier, securing a finish that underscored his multifaceted attack. Della Maddalena, meanwhile, outclassed the relentless wrestler Belal Muhammad, demonstrating an evolving defensive grappling game. Dustin Poirier, having firsthand experience with Makhachev, offered a perspective that highlights Della Maddalena’s potential path to victory. "It’s all going to come down to the takedown defense of JDM," Poirier told MMA Fighting. "If he can get back up to his feet, if he can use the fence, or stay off the fence, use his boxing, I think he definitely could give Islam a lot of troubles in the center of the octagon. He’s a great striker. He’s big and powerful."
A key, albeit less publicized, element in Della Maddalena’s preparation is his collaboration with Craig Jones, a two-time ADCC silver medalist and one of the most respected and innovative minds in modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Jones’s influence is seen as a potential game-changer in how Della Maddalena might negate Makhachev’s vaunted pressure and grappling sequences. This partnership has led some prominent figures within the MMA community to back the champion for an upset. American Top Team coach Din Thomas and fellow welterweight contender Sean Brady have both publicly expressed confidence in Della Maddalena.
"He’s a breath of fresh air, and I’m with Brady on this one. I’m picking him to beat Islam," Thomas told MMA Junkie. Thomas elaborated on the strategic importance of Jones’s contribution: "I think that Craig Jones is the answer in this… I think the answer lies within Craig Jones’ approach of blending in a jiu-jitsu style that these guys aren’t familiar with. We’ve seen it when Alexander Volkanovski fought Islam, and we’ve seen it when Jack fought Belal." Della Maddalena’s performance against Muhammad, where he successfully defended six of nine takedown attempts and, critically, prevented Muhammad from maintaining control on the ground, is cited by Thomas as evidence of this evolving grappling comfort and the imprint of Jones’s methodology in transitional grappling.
Thomas further articulated his prediction regarding the fight’s dynamics: "I think Jack’s going to be very difficult to take down and hold down. He might be taken down, but I think he’s going to be very difficult to hold down if he gets taken down. I think on the feet, he’s so precise. I think he loses the first two rounds possibly, but I think he comes back and does damage later in the fight."
Della Maddalena’s offensive capabilities were evident in his previous outing against Muhammad at UFC 315, where he landed approximately 200 strikes over 25 minutes, bloodying his opponent. His longtime coach, Ben Vickers, believes that unleashing a similar level of sustained pressure and brutality could expose vulnerabilities Makhachev has rarely encountered. "I think Jack will knock him out," Vickers stated on Submission Radio. "He’s not used to taking damage. He’s not used to being in tough fights with someone pushing the pace, and he’s been knocked out before."
This bold prediction is not entirely without precedent. Poirier, despite losing to Makhachev, demonstrated that the lightweight champion could be troubled in striking exchanges. If Poirier, in the later stages of his career, could find success on the feet against Makhachev, Della Maddalena, a younger, sharper, and arguably more powerful striker, possesses the tools to replicate and potentially amplify that success.
The betting markets currently reflect a strong lean towards Makhachev, listing him as nearly a three-to-one favorite. This stands in contrast to a hypothetical matchup with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, which is considered a pick’em. The prevailing sentiment among many fans and bettors is that UFC 322 will serve as Makhachev’s coronation in a second weight class. However, those intimately familiar with the challenge posed by Della Maddalena hold a different view.
Even Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev’s mentor and close friend, offered a surprising assessment of Della Maddalena’s threat. "I think Maddalena is the toughest opponent in Islam’s career," Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev in a Russian-translated interview, specifying his opinion above Charles Oliveira, and even a potential future opponent like Ilia Topuria. Nurmagomedov elaborated on his reasoning: "Maddalena is twice the size of Ilia. Taller, bigger, stronger legs, bigger frame. His boxing is just as good. And, in grappling, he scrambles really well if you’ve watched him. For me, if I were preparing Islam for either Ilia or Maddalena, I’d be more concerned about Maddalena."
This high level of respect from Makhachev’s inner circle is further underscored by his longtime coach, Javier Mendez. Mendez admitted to having dedicated an unprecedented amount of time to studying Della Maddalena’s fights. "Jack is such a tough customer that if we overlook him, which we haven’t. I’ve actually viewed Jack’s fight with Belal five times," Mendez told MMA Junkie, a rare admission from one of MMA’s most seasoned strategists. "I’ve never really done that. That’s how much I respect Jack."
Makhachev himself has echoed his team’s recognition of the significant challenge ahead. His training camp for UFC 322 has been meticulously structured around Della Maddalena’s strengths, with the champion splitting his time between Russia, Dubai, and New Jersey to ensure access to optimal sparring partners that replicate Della Maddalena’s size and style. "It’s going to be a hard fight, honestly," Makhachev told MMA Junkie. "I saw his fight against Belal. He’s good, man. When he began fighting in the UFC, he had problems with wrestling, but now he’s improved because I’ve seen him training a lot with wrestlers and grapplers, and that’s why he’s champion right now. He’s good everywhere. But we will see who’s the best fighter in the world very soon."
The stage is set for a high-stakes encounter where Della Maddalena seeks to defy expectations and solidify his reign against one of the sport’s pound-for-pound elite, while Makhachev aims to etch his name into multi-divisional championship history. The contrasting styles and the strategic preparations on both sides promise a compelling main event.
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