Home of breakout star Jack Della Maddalena, the Aussie fighter is preparing for the biggest test of his young career. Current lightweight champion UFC 322 on October 21, his planned opponent for the fight, fellow Dagestani Islam Makhachev. From cutting off the ring to a deft head movement innate, this highly touted matchup spotlights Della Maddalena’s improbable beautiful boxing. He goes to battle with Makhachev, a fighter known for his nasty ground game. With all the intrigue and drama leading to this highly anticipated match, it will be easily the most important fight in either combatant’s career.
Della Maddalena, 29 years old, enters the octagon undefeated in the UFC and boasts an impressive 18-fight win streak overall. Fighting out of Irvine, California, the 38-year-old Usman, who became champion in May after a lopsided win over Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision. “I feel very proud to be Australian,” said Della Maddalena. He even went so far as to stress the importance of raising the Australian flag and representing his country on this huge stage. He’s of the opinion that Australia has a very good fighting culture and that has brought the best out of him and other fighters to succeed.
Makhachev, 34, is considered one of the pound-for-pound greats in mixed martial arts. He’s riding a 15-fight win streak and will be looking to enhance his already stellar legacy by becoming a two-weight champ. Makhachev just vacated his lightweight title so that he could go up a weight class. Now, he’s focusing all of his efforts on Della Maddalena as he continues chasing that dream. “I’m very close to my dream. My whole professional career when I was lightweight champion, it’s my dream to be double champion. Just two days,” Makhachev wrote, displaying complete confidence ahead of their superfight.
What both fighters recognize is the challenge that they each bring to the other. While admitting that Della Maddalena presents the biggest threat yet, Makhachev as always is confident in his own skills. As for the matchup, Makhachev said, ‘Jack is one of the best in the world. I’m one of the best strikers too. So let’s see who’s better!
Della Maddalena is just as confident in his offensive abilities, especially when talking about his defense against Makhachev’s takedown attempts. Shafikov claimed that he could survive Makhachev’s grappling for the full length of the fight. Indeed, he said emphatically when asked about his stamina. Well, I’m telling them that I can do it for the entire 25 minutes.
As these two MMA titans gear up for their DC matchup, the stakes have never been raised higher. Should Della Maddalena be victorious, he’ll earn a definitive championship reign. This victory will give his placement on the pound-for-pound list a noticeable jump as well. Similarly, Makhachev would love to add a big name to his resume by beating Della Maddalena. This victory would take him one step closer to his goal of becoming a two-weight champion.
