Islam Makhachev's coach explains why Jack Della Maddalena is a bigger threat than Ilia Topuria: "Good everywhere"

Islam Makhachev's MMA coach gave his take on who between Ilia Topuria and Jack Della Maddalena could pose a greater threat to the former lightweight champion. The individual leaned towards Maddalena, expressing admiration for the Australian's all-round abilities inside the cage.

A superfight between Makhachev and Topuria has been a topic of discussion in the MMA world for a long time. However, the Dagestani gave up his lightweight belt and advanced to welterweight, after Maddalena dethroned his close friend Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. As a result Topuria fought Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound title on Saturday at UFC 317 and became the new undisputed champion with a brutal opening round knockout win.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez shared his reaction to Topuria's title win, dismissing him as a tough matchup for his student. Mendez claimed that Maddalena is impressive in all departments, not just striking.

''For me JDM [Maddalena] is the tougher one because of number one, the size. Number two, he’s good everywhere. If it was just boxing, then we don’t have to worry as much because Maddalena’s boxing is not as good as Topuria’s but overall, his kicking, his knees, his overall game is very good.”

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Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (13:50):

A potential fight between Topuria and Makhachev seems unlikely now, as the two are focusing on their respective divisions. The 33-year-old is expected to be the first challenger for Maddalena's 170-pound belt. Meanwhile, the Spaniard is reportedly targeting a title matchup with Paddy Pimblett, who is undefeated in the promotion.

Javier Mendez wants Islam Makhachev to headline the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden

Jack Della Maddalena is reportedly set to welcome Islam Makhachev to the welterweight division, with the two potentially headlining the UFC pay-per-view show at Madison Square Garden in November of this year.

In the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez gave his nod, saying:

''That would be fantastic if the UFC gives us that bout in Madison Square Garden because Islam would love that. Nothing better to do than to win the title at Madison Square Garden, the iconic Madison Square Garden. So for him, it’s another legacy stat that he would love to go after cuz the one thing that he’s after, he’s said it time and time again, he’s after legacy fights.” [14:43]

Notably, UFC CEO Dana White is also interested in their fight taking place in the iconic New York arena, as evidenced by his recent interview with Helen Yee.

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena