Islam Makhachev: Jack Della Maddalena's coach predicts knockout over Islam Makhachev: "We are not getting paid for overtime"

Jack Della Maddalena's coach, Ben Vickers, recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Islam Makhachev title fight. Vickers expressed confidence in his pupil's skill set and claimed he saw the Australian secure a finish against the Dagestani grappling savant.

Della Maddalena and Makhachev are set to throw down in a welterweight title fight at UFC 322 in New York in November. Della Maddalena is coming off a unanimous decision title win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May, while Makhachev last beat Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January in a lightweight championship clash.

Makhachev later vacated the 155-pound title and has moved up to welterweight. While many expect the Dagestani grappling maestro to push Della Maddalena to his limits, coach Vickers isn't too bothered.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Della Maddalena's coach was asked if he still believes the Australian could KO Makhachev at UFC 322. He replied:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

"Yeah, I do. I just don't think Islam has the chin that Belal has... We know for a fact that if Jack clips someone clean on the chin, they can go over. So it could happen in the first minute, it could happen in the 24th minute, it could happen three rounds in. Jack likes long fights. He likes to be in there, but obviously, we're not getting paid for overtime."

He continued:

"So if the opportunity arises, we're happy to take it... Belal's reputedly like the best cardio in the UFC, and Jack out-cardio'd him... Jack's cardio is exceptional. His power is exceptional. I like the fight, I really do."

Catch Ben Vickers' comments below (10:06):

Islam Makhachev addresses upcoming Jack Della Maddalena fight at UFC 322

Earlier this year, Islam Makhachev opened up about his move to welterweight and the challenge of competing in a higher weight class. The Dagestani fighter is seemingly having trouble putting on muscle mass and claimed he's working toward building up his weight in the right way.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Makhachev addressed his troubles as a new welterweight fighter and said:

"I will try to be big. It's not easy, man. All my life, I cut weight, but now when I want to be big, my weight stays in the same position. I try to lift more, we [did] some programs, and slowly, slowly we [gained] 2 [kilograms] right now. It's very hard. But I don't want to be big [because of] food, eating, and not training. I want to be [big] with muscles, I want to train, do the right lifting program, and [gain] some muscles."

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Nishant Zende.