Jack Della Maddalena defied expectations at UFC 315 back in May 2025, dethroning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in a thrilling unanimous decision victory at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Entering as a underdog, JDM showcased his elite skills, outstriking Muhammad 200-155 with crisp combinations and a devastating right hand. Despite Muhammad’s wrestling, Della Maddalena stuffed six of nine takedown attempts, maintaining control on the feet. His relentlessness and slick head movement along with his takedown defense, earned him the victory, marking his 18th straight win and cementing his status as Australia’s newest UFC champion alongside Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker.
Immediately after JDM’s victory, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev took to social media, tweeting, “Time to become a double champion,” signaling his intent to move up to welterweight. Makhachev was previously hesitant to challenge his friend and training partner Muhammad for the 170-pound title, but now sees a clear path to pursue the welterweight belt. His decision has reshaped the welterweight as Della Maddalena is set to take on Islam Makhachev in the near future, and the Australian welcomed the challenge, vowing to avenge Alexander Volkanovski’s two losses to Makhachev.
UFC’s featherweight champ, Alexander Volkanovski, a fellow Australian, gave his take on Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev fight that is coming up, saying, “I think Jack’s fight against Belal was a perfect fight for leading into that. Just purely, you take a lot out of stopping takedowns. Cause again, there’s, every fighter still gonna have little doubts that are gonna creep in. You know, I’m sure Jack was going through that being like, alright, you know, worried about, what if he takes me down and all that. But the fact that he was able to stop and feel so comfortable, I guarantee you he’s leveled up again.”
“His confidence in his takedowns has just went up significantly leading into this fight, I think his confidence is gonna be at a whole another level. So through camp, like I guarantee you, if he’s back in training right now, people trying to take him down are gonna find it almost impossible. You know, only the top guys are gonna have a chance of taking him down and they’re gonna have a very hard time even holding him down.”
If we learned anything from the fight between Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad, it’s that JDM has improved significantly on his takedown defense and is a well-rounded fighter. Makhachev, though a formidable opponent, will not have an easy time dealing with the Aussie, who is not only the champion but also a much bigger and stronger opponent than any of the fighters that Makhachev has faced so far. This superfight between the two will be a fierce battle between the best of the best that the UFC has to offer.
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