Outside Source
Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) looks to defend his welterweight title against Islam Makhachev (27-1) in the headliner at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Maddalena is a sizeable +205 underdog going into the fight against Makhachev, a -265 favorite. While some fans expect Makhachev to overwhelm Maddalena with his wrestling, Whittaker believes otherwise. The former middleweight champ considers Maddalena’s wrestling underrated. Whittaker believes Makhachev won’t go full throttle with his grappling out of respect for Maddalena’s skillset. While “Bobby Knuckles” considers both of them evenly matched, he would pick Maddalena if he had to.
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Whittaker: Della Maddalena ‘Has That X Factor’
“I’m gonna go Jack. I think Jack has that X factor,” Whittaker said on the MMA Arcade podcast. “I think he has that gut, the grit, the determination to fight the takedown attacks that Islam’s gonna go for, and I think in a striking fight, straight-up, Jack is better… People sleep on Jack’s grappling game, they sleep on his jiu-jitsu. I don’t think Islam is gonna be as gung-ho with takedowns as everybody believes, because Jack has that level of offense off his back… Skill-wise, I think they both have their strengths. I don’t think either one of them is overly superior in any way.”
While Maddalena rides an 18-fight winning streak, Makhachev is undefeated in 15 straight UFC outings. With Maddalena having proven himself against elite wrestlers Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, Makhachev’s wrestling will be put to the test at UFC 322.
Robert Whittaker breaks down JDM vs Islam, saying Islam has everything to lose at #UFC322 😳
“I’m gonna go Jack. He has that gut, grit, and determination to fight the takedown attacks that Islam’s gonna go for, and in a striking fight Jack is straight-up better. I don’t think… pic.twitter.com/9cQM468CPu
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) August 31, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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