Israel Adesanya is all in on Jack Della Maddalena holding onto his welterweight belt when he steps into the cage at UFC 322 to face former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
According to “The Last Stylebender,” Della Maddalena has already proven he can handle the wrestling pressure by beating Makhachev teammate Belal Muhammad.
“Jack is just a technical beast, because he fights like a beast but he’s got such good technique,” Adesanya said in a new YouTube video breaking down UFC 322. “His boxing
is second to none, good kickboxing as well, his hands are where his money is. I think in his fight with Belal, what saved him was his anti-wrestling, his scrambling. This guy just knows how to work when it comes to these grapplers. He’s not scared of a fight. He’s just like, ‘Let’s go there.'”
“When Jack keeps getting up? Bro, I’m not trying to count Islam out, but I just know Jack. I know that when Jack keeps getting up it’s gonna be a problem, and Islam’s gonna be forced to strike. And when he’s forced to strike with Jack, he’s gonna get hurt. That’s where I’m at in this fight.”
Adesanya then looked at how Makhachev performed against featherweights and lightweights like Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier.
“Islam is the best of the Dagestanis, one of the best fighters in history, one of the most efficient,” he said. “But when it comes to Jack? Look, even Dustin [Poirier] was able to get up and stop his submissions … And also, I’ve seen live what Volk could do with Islam when they were in Perth.”
It’s worth noting that Adesanya has picked against Makhachev ever since Islam beat Izzy’s teammate Dan Hooker back in 2021. Makhachev keeps winning, but “The Last Stylebender” insists his views aren’t clouded by the Oceania connection with Australia’s Della Maddalena.
“In this fight, not just because it’s Anzac United,” Adesanya said. “I really think that Jack Della Maddalena has the skills to stifle Islam’s game and be able to just keep it on the feet and knock him out. Might be second round, might be third, but we’ll see.”
We’ll find out on November 15th when the cage door shuts on the UFC 322 main event, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
