Jack Della Maddalena's coach believes his fighter has the necessary tools to pull off an upset against Islam Makhachev.
Welterweight champion Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is set to make his first title defense against Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 322 on November 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Della Maddalena captured the welterweight title by defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. The Australian managed to keep the fight predominantly on the feet, outstriking Muhammad over five rounds. However, his head coach, Ben Vickers, isn't convinced Makhachev can absorb the same amount of punishment as Muhammad did.
"I just don't think Islam has the chin that Belal has," Vickers told Submission Radio. "We know for a fact that if Jack lands clean on someone's chin, they can go down. So that could happen in the first minute, it could happen in the 24th minute, it could happen after three rounds. Jack loves a long fight. He loves being in the octagon, but obviously, we don't get paid for overtime."
"So if the opportunity presents itself, we'd love to take it. Belal is known for having arguably the best cardio in the UFC, and Jack outpaced him. Belal was more tired than Jack towards the end of the fight. Jack's cardio is exceptional. His power is exceptional. I like this matchup – I really do," he added.
Vickers dismissed the notion that Muhammad lost to Della Maddalena because he chose to stand and trade rather than utilize his wrestling. He was then asked what he expects from Makhachev's game plan.
"I don't think he's going to come out and try to test his stand-up, but I also don't think he's going to rush," Vickers said of Makhachev. "He's very composed. He's a very skilled, high-level fighter. He's not going to rush in and dive at Jack's legs, but he's going to try and get a hold of him as quickly as possible – even just to try and wear him out in the early stages and bring him into his world quickly. He will take shots from Jack, just like Belal did, if he stays on the feet."
"So I'm sure he's not going to want to stay there for as long as possible. We've all heard Khabib in the corner yelling at Islam when he's not shooting for a takedown. I definitely think there's going to be a big influence from Khabib to get Islam to shoot early and often, but there's not going to be a rush and a panic. The guy is cool, calm, collected, and he's a phenomenal fighter."