"He doesn't panic, doesn't make mistakes" - Islam Makhachev gives credit to Jack Della Maddalena’s ground defense ahead of UFC 322 clash

Islam Makhachev (left) talks about Jack Della Maddalena
Islam Makhachev (left) talks about Jack Della Maddalena's (right) skills. [Images courtesy: Getty]

Islam Makhachev recently shared his thoughts on Jack Della Maddalena's skill set, particularly praising the Australian fighter's composure on the ground.

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Makhachev is scheduled to compete against Della Maddalena for the welterweight championship at UFC 322 on Nov. 15. The bout will be Makhachev's first appearance in the UFC welterweight division, while Della Maddalena will be making his first title defense.

In an interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Makhachev was asked about the Australian fighter's abilities. In response, he said:

"I watched all of his fights. He's good. Striking is good. His boxing is very good and his wrestling not so good, but he [is] good in the ground. He knows how to defend, how to escape, [and] how to get up... I saw his defence, you know, lot of guys take him down. All his opponents in the UFC take him down, but he feels good on the ground. When somebody takes him down, he [doesn't] panic, [doesn't make] mistakes."
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Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (via @Home_of_Fight on X):

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Belal Muhammad previews Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev fight

Jack Della Maddalena is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, where he became the new welterweight champion. According to Muhammad, Della Maddalena's chances of defeating Islam Makhachev on the ground are slim.

In an interview with Home of Fight, Muhammad shared his assessment of the upcoming welterweight championship fight, saying:

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"If I'm looking at that fight stylistically, I think if Islam gets it to the ground, it's going to be an easy night. Islam's ground game is so good, and I think JDM [Della Maddalena] makes a lot of mistakes on the ground with his scrambling. He's very good at it, but I think that Islam doesn't let you scramble. If you scramble, he's good at locking in chokes or locking in arm triangles."
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He added:

"But you still got to get it to the ground first, right? So it's funny. It's going to be good to see how he is on the feet with JDM, who's kind of tricky. But I think if it gets to the ground, it's time to get his hand raised." [5:56 seconds into the interview]

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi
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