Jul 28, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Kajan Johnson (red gloves) fights Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

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Is Jack Della Maddalena Too Much For Islam Makhachev? MMA Experts Give Their Opinion

Islam Makhachev built his entire UFC career around being the perfect lightweight fighter. At 155 pounds, his wrestling looked unstoppable and his ground game felt like a cheat code against most opponents. He dominated that division so completely that UFC started running out of challengers to throw at him. But now he’s doing something different. He is moving up to welterweight to fight Jack Della Maddalena for the 170 pound title at UFC 322. Weight cutting has always been one of the trickiest parts of MMA, and moving in the opposite direction brings its own set of problems that even elite fighters struggle to solve.

The move up in weight class isn’t just about carrying extra pounds. It’s about facing naturally bigger, stronger opponents who have spent their entire careers learning how to use that size advantage. Makhachev will be giving up reach, power, and probably some of his wrestling dominance when he steps into the octagon with Della Maddalena. Recent photos show that Islam has clearly bulked up for this fight, but there’s a difference between looking bigger in pictures and actually being able to handle the physicality of elite welterweights. Many legendary fighters have tried this same jump and discovered that what worked perfectly in their original division suddenly becomes much harder against bigger opponents.

Daniel Cormier Breaks Down The Real Challenges

Daniel Cormier, who knows a thing or two about moving between weight classes, recently gave his thoughts on this matchup and didn’t sugarcoat the challenges facing Makhachev. DC pointed out that Makhachev and his team are very aware that Della Maddalena presents serious problems, especially after what he did to Belal Muhammad. When JDM dominated Muhammad at UFC 315, a fighter known for his incredible durability and cardio, it sent shockwaves through the welterweight division. Cormier emphasized that this fight is much more even than people initially thought, mainly because of how impressive Della Maddalena looked in that title winning performance.

The takedown defense aspect particularly caught Cormier’s attention. Makhachev’s entire game plan usually revolves around getting fights to the ground. There his grappling skills become nearly impossible to deal with. But Della Maddalena has shown excellent takedown defense, and at welterweight, he will have the size and strength to make those takedown attempts even more difficult. Cormier believes this could neutralize Makhachev’s biggest advantage and force him into striking exchanges where the Australian might have the upper hand. In the end, he feels that the matchup is quite even considering both these fighters are elite and bring their own set of skills to the fight.

Morning Kombat Analysts Debate Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev

The crew at Morning Kombat recently dove deep into this matchup and came away with some interesting observations about how both camps are approaching the fight. They discussed how both teams are naturally confident their fighter will win. But some of the statements from Della Maddalena’s camp caught their attention. JDM’s coach recently claimed his fighter could knock out Islam at any point in the fight, which Luke Thomas felt was a bit over the top. Thomas took issue with the way the statement was phrased, saying it made Islam sound fragile when the reality is that Makhachev has only been knocked out once in his entire career.

How realistic is it that JDM lands clean on Islam and pulls off the win? 🤔

Shots Fired 🚨 @JoseCuervo @BCampbell @lthomasnews pic.twitter.com/lPbMeIYyD8
— Morning Kombat (@morningkombat) August 29, 2025

Despite the bold predictions from both sides, the Morning Kombat analysts believe this is genuinely a very competitive fight between two evenly matched fighters. They spent time analyzing the betting odds. They noted that Makhachev is currently favored while Della Maddalena sits in the underdog position. Both analysts agreed that these starting odds seem fair given the circumstances.

(Image Credit: Sergei Belski – Imagn Images)

Daniel Cormier

Islam Makhachev

Jack Della Maddalena

Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev

UFC 322

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!