Top Ranked UFC Star Picks Islam Makhachev to Lose Against Jack Della Maddalena: “Bigger, faster, young, hits harder”
Islam Makhachev was someone that a prolific UFC lightweight thought would be able to defeat Jack Della Maddalena, but now that same stalwart 155-pounder has switched his prediction to “and still” for the next UFC welterweight title fight. That Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena 170-pound title fight takes place in November at UFC 322, with the referenced lightweight fighter here also having a spot on the card.
The combatant in question is Beneil Dariush, who will take on Benoit Saint Denis on November 15th at MSG, and Dariush spoke with Submission Radio in the lead-up to this bout. When asked how he sees this main event fight playing out between the former kingpin of his division and the man who looms tall over welterweight currently, JDM, Dariush said,
“Earlier, I was leaning towards Islam Makhachev, but now I’m leaning more towards JDM. No logical reason, just feel. JDM is bigger, faster, young, hits hard. After watching him fight with Bal, I think his chances of winning are better.”
“It’s a tough first assignment for Islam moving up weight class straight into JDM, who’s hitting his peak, bigger, stronger, hits harder. Definitely not an easy fight.”
Islam Makhachev’s physique shift moving up to welterweight
Islam Makhachev notched multiple title defenses at lightweight, and in the pursuit of aiming to enter the rarefied air of two division champions in UFC history, he is bulking up in a calculated way for the move up in weight. A recent photograph of Makahchev training in Dubai was posted to the Instagram story of Kris Fade, which was then shared to the X account, @ChampRDS.
Makhachev’s demonstrable increase in musculature drew the attention of many within the MMA space. Comments on that localized X thread mentioned how Makhachev looks like a middleweight now, that this will probably be the healthiest he has ever been for a mixed martial arts bout, and that we will see the best version of the Dagestan-based fighter we have ever seen.
Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, but the MMA world can tune in on November 15th to see for themselves when Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena closes out UFC 322.
