Jack Della Maddalena’s ascent from Perth hopeful to UFC welterweight champion culminates in a marquee title defense against former lightweight ruler Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. Head coach Ben Vickers outlined the strategic blueprint in a recent Submission Radio interview, detailing how his fighter’s size, strength and championship experience will shape the contest at Madison Square Garden.
Jack Della Maddalena’s strategy against Islam Makhachev
Vickers began by acknowledging the magnitude of headlining the fabled New York arena. “Obviously, Perth is where we’re from and where we’d love to fight and Jack would love to main event a card in his hometown. I think it’s everyone’s dream to do such a thing, but the next best thing has got to be MSG. You know, the mecca of fight sports, the mecca of venues. It’s a bucket list. It’s awesome to be headlining an event at MSG. It’s going to be awesome for Jack to become pound-for-pound number one in the world at MSG.”
Turning to the stylistic clash, Vickers stressed that Islam’s team respects Jack Della Maddalena’s toughness. “There’s big respect coming from Islam’s team going into this one and they’re acknowledging JDM is a hard fight. JDM is tougher than what some people may realize. The respect is mutual and Jack’s always asked me for the toughest fights he can possibly have. He fights better in harder fights.” That hardness, Vickers argued, plays to Della Maddalena’s favor when matched against Makhachev’s grappling pedigree and composure.
Although Vickers praised Makhachev’s all-around skill, he identified opportunities where Jack can gain an edge. “The respect is mutual…but I do see things there that we’re working on, that we’re trying to capitalize upon. Although he’s an amazing fighter, I think Jack’s better.”
Central to that belief is the size differential: Jack will meet Islam as the larger man with greater power on the feet, while Islam adapts to welterweight for the first time. “He’s a big dude. He’s a good fighter. Jack’s bigger. Jack’s probably stronger, has got more power on the feet. But it’s a different fight for Islam. It’s his first time in a very competitive matchup at welterweight, and it’s different—you know, he’s been fighting at lightweight for a decade. To then move up a weight class, it’s different, and I don’t know how that’s going to affect his gas tank, his ability to move as well.”
UFC 322
Vickers expects Makhachev to employ measured takedown attempts rather than reckless aggression, drawing on guidance from former teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner. Should Makhachev succeed, Vickers insists Jack’s wrestling defense remains strong. Conversely, prolonged striking exchanges play directly into Della Maddalena’s hands – he can drain Islam’s unfamiliar gas tank and land fight-ending shots.
The gameplan centers on two pillars. First, push a high pace in stand-up to test Islam’s resistance to sustained power strikes. Jack’s performance against Belal Muhammad demonstrated both his cardio and his capacity to punish disciplined wrestlers over five rounds. Second, maintain scrambly defense to thwart takedown entry or quickly return to vertical if taken down. Above all, seize openings to land the clean, heavy shot that has finished many opponents throughout Jack’s run.
