Former UFC Champ Explains What Went Wrong in Training for JDM: Craig Jones
Ex-UFC champion Belal Muhammad thinks Jack Della Maddalena would have been better served by training with someone from Dagestan ahead of his first welterweight title defense.
Six months removed from his title-winning performance against Muhammad at UFC 315, ‘JDM’ had no answer for Makhachev’s grapple-heavy attack inside Madison Square Garden. After 25 one-sided minutes of action, Della Maddalena surrendered his 170-pound crown to Makhachev, kickstarting a new era in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.
Ahead of his clash with Makhachev, Della Maddalena notably trained with two-time ADCC world champion Craig Jones.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Muhammad suggested that ‘JDM’ may have been better prepared for Makhachev had he spent time training with someone from the Dagestani region rather than a BJJ guy.
“I just saw a similar guy. I knew he was big enough for 170. I didn’t think he’d be undersized or anything like that. Them guys, they’re all so strong. They all train with some monsters over there. So, I don’t think that there would be a size that matters. I think it comes down to Jack not training with somebody from that region, right?
You could train with Craig Jones, you could train with this jiu-jitsu guy, but the guys from Dagestan, the guys from there… If you never felt it, you don’t want your first knowing the feel in the cage.”
Of course, Muhammad may be a bit biased, considering he traveled to Dagestan and trained alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his title tilt with Leon Edwards last year.
Still, we can’t help but wonder how different things might have been had Della Maddalena taken a page out of Muhammad’s book and trained with someone versed in the art of Dagestani wrestling.
