Islam Makhachev has a lot to prove when he moves up in weight to face Jack Della Maddalena, and his coach believes his destructive striking is being overlooked.
The UFC 322 pound-for-pound clash between Makhachev and Della Maddalena is scheduled to be a very interesting cross-divisional clash, which could reaffirm the Russian as the best in the world.
It will be a 15 lb weight difference to cover for the former lightweight champion, but his camp believes he looks bigger already, two months before the move up in weight.
Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
However, it is not an easy feat to pull off, especially as Maddalena is a tough title fight test, but the 33-year-old’s experience as lightweight champion could see him score a surprise win.
Islam Makhachev’s coach details destructive sparring which could be a problem for Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322
As the Australian champion is a naturally bigger fighter than his opponent, experts have picked this out as a factor in the standup department, considering Islam was once knocked out early in his UFC career.
His striking coach, Javier Mendez, though, does not think his fighter will be outmatched in the striking department, despite his size disadvantage.
Speaking to Submission Radio, the trainer explained what he has seen in sparring and why the titleholder may want to respect the Dagestani’s hands.
Mendez said: “I hope that he goes in believing that because when he gets in there with Islam, you’re gonna find out a whole different story because I’m sorry, they’re completely different.
“By no means is Islam an easy fight for anybody, understand that. Any MMA fighter that’s a striker, they’re not going to have an easy time with him. I’ve been with this kid going on 11 years of watching him just destroy everybody on the standup.
“Guys that are much better standup than him and he still destroys them. So no, don’t go by what you see. When you get in there with that man, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Out of his 17 fights, Islam has only knocked out three of his opponents, with most of his finishes usually coming from submissions.
His last knockout victory came two years ago when he defended his lightweight crown successfully against Alexander Volkanovski.
Islam Makhachev’s coach reveals one first-time change he has made for the Jack Della Maddalena fight at UFC 322
Preparations for this contest have been ongoing since he made a fourth consecutive defense of his title, submitting Renato Moicano in January.
But changes have been made for this camp, especially from coach Mendez, who is doing something he has never done for previous camps.
In the interview, he continued: “I’ve never watched tape for an Islam fight. Never. This is the first time because I respect this guy that much and he’s a puzzle.
“He’s not that easy. I’m telling you, he’s not that easy. We’ll get him, but he’s not that easy, and I have to be confident that we’ll get him.”
Maddalena has not been defeated in the organisation so far; his last three wins have been against the former champion Belal Muhammad and two established welterweight contenders, with one coming by knockout.
A victory over Makhachev could be enough to raise his ranking in the P4P list.