Charles Oliveira warns it’s “over” if Islam Makhachev takes Jack Della Maddalena down: "He's going to be much stronger"

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira recently chimed in on the upcoming battle between UFC welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. On an undetermined date, 'JDM' will potentially make his first title defense against Makhachev, who is moving up to welterweight after deciding to relinquish his UFC lightweight title.

Charles Oliveira, who lost his world title bid to Makhachev in 2022, has valuable insight on what it's like to face the Dagestani wrestling machine inside the octagon. In an interview with Full Violence, 'Do Bronx' confirmed what we're all thinking: Makhachev's wrestling will make a significant difference.

Oliveira said:

"Jack Della Maddalena has a very complicated game, because he's a guy who doesn't come to knock out fast, he comes to make you hurt. Little by little, right? Little by little, that what he did now against Belal [Muhammad]. But I think Islam [Makhachev] is going to do very well in this weight, right?"

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He continued:

"Now he's going to be much stronger. It's a game where you just have to grab him and put him down. I think Jack Della Maddalena is going to do the same fight he did now against Belal, hitting, moving, getting out, hurting, it's a fight. But if [JDM] let Islam grab him and put him down, it's over."

Listen to Oliveira here:

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Charles Oliveira set to face Ilia Topuria for vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 317

Charles Oliveira has a title fight ahead of him as well. The Brazilian finishing machine is set to face former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 next month. This match came on the heels of Makhachev deciding to relinquish his belt to move up to welterweight and challenge for the title.

Ahead of his clash with 'El Matador', fans are accusing 'Do Bronx' of being a "quitter", having been finished eight times in his career. It seems these fans are discounting the fact that Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history with 20.

In the same interview with Full Violence, 'Do Bronx' addressed the "quitter" accusations:

"We’ve been in there for 15 years. I’ve seen a lot of these guys say a lot of things that I give up, that I’m going to lose, that they’re going to knock me out, that they’re going to finish me, and then, when the time comes, they don’t do anything."

Listen to Charles Oliveira here:

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About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann