Jack Della Maddalena: Jack Della Maddalena predicts how "Belal's mistake" could sway Islam Makhachev's game plan for UFC 322

Reigning welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena is seen by many, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, as Islam Makhachev's toughest test yet. And as Makhachev prowls two-division championship glory at UFC 322, Maddalena expects his opponent to draw lessons from Belal Muhammad's failed template.

For context, at UFC 315, Muhammad, primarily a wrestling-heavy fighter, initially chose to stand and trade with Maddalena on the feet before trying to switch to a grappling-heavy game in the later rounds.

By the championship rounds, however, 'Remember the Name' struggled to complete level changes, an outcome many thought was a result of fatigue and damage he had accumulated early on.

The Australian reckons Makhachev could be intent on avoiding the same mistakes in their fight. The sambo maestro and Muhammad maintain a well-known friendship and have trained together in the past.

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Speaking to Submission Radio about the former lightweight champion's potential game plan for the upcoming pay-per-view, Maddalena said:

"I definitely feel like he would test the feet. It's going to start on the feet and well go from there, but I think he'll try and mix it up. I think he is probably going to try and get on the wrestling early. I'd imagine, looking back on the Belal fight, he probably sees that Belal's mistake was not getting on the wrestling early. So, I expect in the first round we'll be getting into some, at least some grappling exchanges."

Check out Jack Della Maddalena's prediction for UFC 322 fight against Islam Makhachev (1:24):

Jack Della Maddalena reveals "best case scenario" for Islam Makhachev fight

Jack Della Maddalena is hoping to make his first title defense in style, securing a decisive victory over Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. The 29-year-old, known for his knockout ability, has the perfect plan in mind on how to do that.

Speaking to Submission Radio about the "best-case scenario" for the fight, the welterweight kingpin said:

"I'm going to go for it [a finish]. Obviously, that would be the best-case scenario. Get the finish. I can see it happening. I can see it blowing the roof off MSG [Madison Square Garden]. Taking out the [former] pound-for-pound No.1 with no doubts. [A] finish would be the dream. [0:22 minutes into the interview]"

UFC 322 is scheduled for Nov.15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Per Odds Shark, Makhachev is currently a -260 favorite for the matchup with Maddalen as a +196 underdog.

About the author

Ujwal Jain is a sports journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. He has been practicing martial arts from an early age and won several accolades at national-level competitions in karate and Taekwondo. He also holds a back belt in karate. Ujwal loves fact-checking, helping out with related research, and being a fresh set of eyes for fellow writers’ articles.

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