Islam Makhachev: "Take the fight short notice"- Alexander Volkanovski jokes about past setback while previewing Jack Della Maddalena’s path to beat Islam Makhachev

A wry grin from Alexander Volkanovski set the tone of his analysis of Jack Della Maddalena's upcoming welterweight title defense against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. The UFC featherweight champion joked about taking the fight on short notice before diving deep into a breakdown of what his Australian counterpart needs on fight night.

Volkanovski has spent time helping Della Maddalena prepare and knows the margin for error shrinks when Makhachev gets in the groove. He pointed to Della Maddalena’s pressure boxing, sharp hands, and ability to reset exchanges quickly as the clearest path to winning rounds.

'The Great' feels the extra welterweight bulk could also matter in extended scrambles, where draining Makhachev’s pace becomes a realistic factor over five rounds. Speaking in a recent interview with Minty Bets for Fan Duel, Volkanovski said:

"Yeah, take the fight short notice. That’ll be the best thing. No, I’m joking. Honestly, we know what Islam is going to want to do, and we know what JDM is good at, keeping it on the feet and using that boxing."

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He added:

"He has very powerful hands, and he has to be ready for the scrambles, stay on top of it, get it back to the feet as quickly as he can, and keep putting that pressure on because he likes to pressure box. With that extra weight, it could play a factor in tiring someone like Islam, and that is going to play a big part in this fight."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below:

Alexander Volkanovski urges Jack Della Maddalena to keep the fight standing against Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski believes Jack Della Maddalena’s first title defense at UFC 322 will hinge on his ability to stop Islam Makhachev from turning the fight into a grappling match.

He sees Della Maddalena’s scrambling as a strength but warns that extended exchanges on the mat only favor Makhachev. He expects the champion to rely on sharp hip escapes, constant urgency, and pressure boxing to stay upright. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

"Jack's great on the ground, but we don't want it to go to the ground. Even though Jack's good there, that's Islam's world. That’s all he does, 24/7, since he was walking. He probably started wrestling before he started walking. That's how long these guys have been doing this for. Do we want to go there? Be OK with the scrambles if you're comfortable enough in the scrambles, and keep that urgency, and use your weight... Obviously, I was able to tire him from all them little scrambles. Can Jack be effective where he can burn him there?"