UFC 322: Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev Preview & Prediction
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
A generational showdown headlines UFC 322, as former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev makes his long awaited welterweight debut, taking on the newly crowned 170 pound kingpin, Jack Della Maddalena.
Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev facts
What time are Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev? Madison Square Garden, New York, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 322
What TV channel is UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev main card
Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev (Welterweight)
Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili (Women’s Flyweight)
Sean Brady vs Michael Morales (Welterweight)
Leon Edwards vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Beneil Dariush vs Benoit Saint Denis (Lightweight)
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev prelims
Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira (Middleweight)
Roman Kopylov vs Gregory Rodrigues (Middleweight)
Erin Blanchfield vs Tracy Cortez (Women’s Flyweight)
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Ethyn Ewing (Featherweight)
Kyle Daukaus vs Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight)
Pat Sabatini vs Chepe Mariscal (Featherweight)
Angela Hill vs Fatima Kline (Women’s Strawweight)
Baisangur Susurkaev vs Eric McConico (Middleweight)
Viacheslav Borshchev vs Matheus Camilo (Lightweight)
Jack Della Maddalena: Australia's latest champ looks to prove the doubters wrong and score a win over one of the greatest fighters of all time
Outside of a shocking KO loss to Adriano Martins just over a decade ago, former lightweight kingpin, Islam Makhachev (27-1) has been as close to perfect as the sport of MMA has ever seen. With victories over greats like Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, and Alexander Volkanovski (TWICE!), Makhachev has been consistently beating the best at 155 pounds while making it look easy. An elite wrestler with underrated striking ability, Makhachev vacates his title and makes the jump to 170 pounds in search of his second title with the promotion, now freed from the burden of his brutal cut to lightweight.
Islam Makhachev: Can Khabib's successor continue his legendary run of domination up a weight class?
Undefeated since a pair of defeats to open his professional career, welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) makes his first defense of the 170 title since snatching the belt from Belal Muhammad in May. The Australian has earned six performance bonuses in eight fights since joining the promotion via DWCS, scoring wins over Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, and Randy Brown along the way. An exceptional boxer, “JDM" will work the body spitefully to open up fight ending shots to the head. He’s also proved to be a solid grappler under the tutelage of jiu jitsu great, Craig Jones.
Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev prediction
Makhachev’s championship pedigree and aura of invincibility unsurprisingly renders him the favorite here. Outside of struggling in moments against the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Arman Tsarukyan and Dustin Poirier, the Russian has looked virtually unbeatable since his freak loss to Martins back in 2015. Even in the moments where his opponents purportedly gave him some issues, the end result was still either a dominant decision or a finish for the former lightweight kingpin.
As such, it speaks to the skill of Della Maddalena that he could well be Makhachev’s kryptonite here. He’s the biggest opponent that the Russian has ever faced, and if he’s able to land some of the shots that opponents like Poirier have managed to land on Makhachev, there’s a strong possibility that he’s going to knock him spark out. Moreover, “JDM” works his grappling with Craig Jones; the same man behind Alexander Volkanovski’s success in the grappling department in his first fight against Makhachev at UFC 284.
Prediction: Jack Della Maddalena to win
