Islam Makhachev fight instrumental for "transition champion" Jack Della Maddalena's career, claims UFC Hall of Famer 

A UFC analyst recently weighed in on the rumored title clash between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. The individual suggested that a victory for the Australian could propel him to the No. 1 pound-for-pound spot in the UFC rankings.

Earlier this year, Makhachev vacated his lightweight title to move up to the welterweight division following Della Maddalena's unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. The Australian is now expected to make his first title defense against Makhachev on UFC's November card at Madison Square Garden. This was leaked by the Dagestani's teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov during a Q&A session hosted by Miftaah Institute in New York on Saturday.

In a recent episode of the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, Chael Sonnen stated that Della Maddalena has a golden opportunity to solidify his legacy by defeating Makhachev, potentially becoming the pound-for-pound king in the process.

''I knew that [Della Maddalena] and Islam [Makhachev] has been announced. In fact, it was announced almost 3 months ago. So, I was thinking, wait a minute. Is he fighting sooner? And they're talking about he's going to return at MSG or is this just actually the welterweight fight?...I think that they're going to be very surprised how well Jack sells. I think that Jack right now is the most underappreciated champion in the organization. I believe they view him as a interim champion, just meaning a transition champion is the word I'm looking for.''

Sonnen continued:

''I think that Jack is in a wonderful opportunity to not only defend his belt to gain esteem with the audience and the organization. I think he's in a spot, this is what nobody's talking about, to chase down Topuria for that number one pound-for-pound. Jack is going to look a lot different to all of us if he beats Islam at the Garden.''

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (2:30):

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MMA coach says Jack Della Maddalena will be the toughest fight for Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, spoke to Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie last month and discussed the former lightweight champion’s potential welterweight title fight against Jack Della Maddalena.

Mendez acknowledged that the reigning champion poses a serious threat to Makhachev:

''I'm going to have to one million percent agree with Khabib, I think this is our toughest test...If we make it look easy, it's because we were properly prepared, and Jack just happened to give us what we needed, but this is by no means a walkover fight. This is a really tough fight, and we have immense respect for Jack and their team and what they can do."

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (10:09):