JDM believes he can knock out Islam
Makhachev 👀“I think I can land a lot of shots and I think I can take him
out.Advertisement
Stuff the takedowns. If I get taken down, I believe I can get back
to my feet.”🎥 @arielhelwani
#UFC
#MMA
pic.twitter.com/kUDlcVhN7s— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
May 13, 2025
Jack
Della Maddalena (18-2) thinks he will knock Islam
Makhachev (27-1) out when they meet.
Maddalena won the welterweight title with an upset over Belal
Muhammad at UFC 315
last weekend. Makhachev had already announced his plans to move up
and challenge Maddalena if his friend Muhammad got
dethroned.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Makhachev vacated his lightweight
title to move up and challenge Maddalena in a future matchup.
Meanwhile former lightweight champ Charles
Oliveira and former featherweight champ Ilia
Topuria will compete for the vacant 155-pound strap at UFC 317
on June 28.
Maddalena already expects people to count him out against
Makhachev. However, the Australian champion believes he can knock
Makhachev out. According to Maddalena, Muhammad’s awkward movement
makes him a harder target than Makhachev, whom he finds stationary.
Maddalena doesn’t consider Makhachev an elite striker and believes
he can even hold his own on the ground against the Dagestani.
“I’m sure people are gonna assume that Islam’s gonna take me down
and beat me pretty quickly… He seems like a pretty big guy… I think
it’ll be one fight then he’ll probably have to go back down… I
think I can take him out,” Maddalena told Ariel Helwani. “Belal
really just changes stances, walks forward. But I think if I can
have someone that just stays in the center. I don’t think Islam’s a
very good striker. I think I can land a lot of shots and I think I
can take him out. Stuff the takedowns, if I get taken down, I can
get back to my feet.”
Maddalena hasn’t lost in 18 straight outings after dropping his
first two pro bouts in 2017. Meanwhile, Makhachev is on a 15-fight
winning streak that includes four title defenses.