Jack Della Maddalena wants to put Islam Makhachev back in his place at UFC 322
UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena is ready to try and send Islam Makhachev back down to the lightweight division this weekend.
On Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena will put his welterweight gold on the line when he goes head to head with Islam Makhachev. Islam is making his way up to 170 pounds from the lightweight division, with his hope being that he can become a two-weight world champion, cementing his legacy as one of the best to ever do it.
Of course, Jack Della Maddalena isn’t just going to sit there and take it. He wants to prove that he is the rightful champion at welterweight in the wake of his title win over Belal Muhammad which, in itself, surprised a lot of people given how dominant Belal looked against Leon Edwards in his own championship victory.
In a recent interview, Jack Della Maddalena made some interesting comments when asked about the narrative of him defeating a ‘legit lightweight’ if he can get the job done against Makhachev in New York City.
Jack Della Maddalena makes big statement ahead of UFC 322
“I’m sort of hoping for that narrative [beating down a lightweight],” Della Maddalena told MMA Fighting. “That means I’ve done my job and put him back in his place. Honestly, that’s sort of the narrative I’m hoping that comes the day after the fight is that he’s just a lightweight, he would never do well in the welterweight division.
“That’s sort of what I’m hoping for. That’s it [sending him packing back to 155 pounds].”
“It’s a hard one because obviously he hasn’t done anything in the welterweight division but I think his resume’s very respectable,” Della Maddalena said about Makhachev. “He’s done a pretty good job in that division clearing it out. It’s cool.
“Before a champion moves up, at least clear out the division. I feel like that’s what he has done so I feel like he is deserving of this spot. Deserving of having a crack at a big legacy fight. I think it’s a big challenge. Definitely the biggest challenge of my career.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
