Jack Della Maddalena and coach Ben Vickers | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jack Della Maddalena just knocked off one fighter high up on the pound-for-pound list. Now his coach thinks he can knock out the man who sits at No. 1.

Fresh of defeating Belal Muhammad to claim the welterweight title this past Saturday at UFC 315 in Montreal, Della Maddalena is now set to fight Islam Makhachev—vacating the lightweight title to move up to 170 pounds—at a future date, according to an announcement from UFC CEO Dana White.

Makhachev sports an eye-popping 27-1 record, strung together five straight UFC championship wins, and has not lost a fight in almost a decade. None of that matters to Della Maddalena coach Ben Vickers, who is not only confident his fighter will win, but he’ll do so inside the distance.

“I had a lot of time in my hands in the last X amount of hours coming back from Canada and I watched a bit of footage on Makhachev,” Vickers told Submission Radio prior to Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev being announced. “In particular, the [Dustin] Poirier fight. I’ve never watched Makhachev before as a potential opponent. I’ve always just enjoyed him fighting because he’s brilliant to watch, but I think Jack will knock him out.”

Makhachev fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in a bout that saw “The Diamond” shine at points in the fight before inevitably succumbing to Makhachev’s brilliant wrestling and submission game in the fifth round. Seeing the success Poirier had, Vickers knows Della Maddalena can capitalize on Makhachev’s weaknesses when they fight for Della Maddalena’s welterweight belt.

“The first jab [Makhachev] took—Poirier only hit once in the first round—and the first jab he took, when he got the takedown afterwards, he was wincing and rubbing his eye,” Vickers said. “I just feel like he’s not used to taking damage. He’s not used to being in tough fights with someone pushing the pace. And he’s been knocked out before.

“Jack’s got size on him. Belal’s the perfect warmup fight if you’re going to fight Makhachev. But anyone, I see holes in them all, and I think Jack’s the complete package. Add to all of his skills, the chin, and then just the pure will and grit to get the job done. I feel very confident going into that fight.”

Given how frequently Makhachev employs his wrestling to control his fights, Vickers expects him to try and do the same to Della Maddalena. The Australian slugger showed much-improved takedown defense against Muhammad and Vickers will make sure Della Maddalena is prepared for an even stronger grappling attack from Makhachev.

On the flip-side, he doubts there’s any amount of preparation Makhachev can do to deal with Della Maddalena’s striking.

“One thousand percent,” Vickers said when asked if he expects Makhachev to immediately go for takedowns against Della Maddalena. “You can’t learn to strike—say he’s been working on his striking for the last five years. Jack’s a thoroughbred striker. Whether you’ve been working on it for five years or not, you’re not going to catch up with Jack. He’ll piece you up on the feet, especially when he’s bigger than you.

“Makhachev’s a lot more of a traditional striker than Belal is. Belal’s quite a hard puzzle to figure out because he doesn’t move in the same way as a boxer would or a kickboxer would necessarily, so good luck. Work more on your striking.”

TOP STORIES

Mailbag. Just how long can Della Maddalena reign atop the welterweight division?

Return. Holly Holm is heading back to the boxing ring.

Ongoing. It’s anybody’s guess where UFC’s broadcasting rights land, but no matter what the deal is going to be huge.

Opportunity. Marlon Vera is OUT of his fight with Mario Bautista at UFC 316. Could the recently signed Patchy Mix be the one to step in?

Paper. Fans have had a mixed reaction to Ilia Topuria fighting Charles Oliveira for a vacant belt instead of Makhachev.

VIDEO STEW

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin talks to Darren Till.

Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. face off.

UFC 315 Fight Motion.

Michael Bisping shares his take on Makhachev’s big move.

Israel Adesanya gets real.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

ICYMI. Listen to MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon’s instant reaction to Dana White’s slew of fight announcements. In podcast form!

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

The essential fight schedule.

Weird, I don’t see why a Khamzat Chimaev fight would need a backup.

“008” now after her latest title defense.

OK.

Back soon.

Apparently someone (or someones) is out there paying fighters 88 cents on the dollar to buy the rights to eventual legal claims from the recent antirust settlement. Truly ghoulish.

Happy 46th birthday! Forever “The California Kid.”

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ikram Aliskerov (16-2) vs. Brunno Ferreira (13-2); UFC 318, July 19

Tatsuro Taira (16-1) vs. Amir Albazi (17-2); UFC Vegas 108, Aug. 2

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s important to note we still don’t actually have a date for Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev, but there are enough pay-per-views left in 2025 for it to comfortably find a spot. Let’s cross our fingers and pray to the MMA Gods that this one stays together, because it’s damn intriguing, especially after that career-best performance from JDM.

I’ll say it now: I’ve got JDM winning it.

And now an unrelated poll, but a question that just popped into my head.

EXIT POLL

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