Outside Source
Maddalena will look to defend his welterweight title against Makhachev in the main event at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. While it is one of the most anticipated matchups of the year, Johnson believes there’s a possibility of the fight being a boring affair. According to Johnson, the fight won’t be fan-friendly if Makhachev can take Maddalena down and impose his will on the ground. However, Johnson is impressed by Maddalena’s ability to scramble like he did against Gilbert Burns. Despite being controlled by Burns for most of the fight, Maddalena came from behind to finish “Durinho” late in the final round.
‘It Could Be Two Things’
“It could be two things — a very, very boring fight, or it could be a very, very exciting fight,” Johnson said on YouTube. “Meaning by a boring fight – If Islam’s able to take down JDM and get his back, hold him there, outgrapple him, stifle him. He could potentially do that, but the one thing I love about JDM when he fights is he never accepts a position… JDM doesn’t accept the position when he gets taken down. He’s always looking to grapple, always looking to anti-wrestle, that’s what makes this fight exciting. And he’s got some f—ing good hands.”
Maddalena is unbeaten in 18 straight outings, which includes eight UFC wins with five finishes. The Australian won the title with an upset win over Belal Muhammad this past May. Meanwhile, Makhachev is riding a 15-fight winning streak in the UFC, including 10 finishes and four lightweight title defenses.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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