“I’m going to get him back for Volk!” Jack Della Maddalena already had his eyes locked on his next challenge as he delivered that line during his UFC 315 octagon interview. The fight against Islam Makhachev just got personal. The Aussie burns with the desire to avenge his countryman Alexander Volkanovski’s two crushing losses to the Dagestani juggernaut—first at UFC 284 in Perth, then again at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
‘JDM’ had already showcased his sprawling and scrambling skills in the Gilbert Burns fight at UFC 299. That performance instantly positioned him as a top threat to Belal Muhammad, alongside Shavkat Rakhmonov. The Aussie eventually backed it up by proving his anti-wrestling game and defeating ‘Remember the Name’ at UFC 315. Now, with a potential superfight against Makhachev looming, ‘The Great’ believes Maddalena will be oozing confidence after that dominant showing.
Alexander Volkanovski sees unshakable confidence in Jack Della Maddalena ahead of Islam Makhachev clash
Alexander Volkanovski is one of those rare individuals who went toe-to-toe with Islam Makhachev in their first clash. So, the 145 lbs kingpin knows firsthand what it takes to deal with the Dagestani juggernaut. Drawing from his own experience, the 145-pound kingpin believes his mate Jack Della Maddalena’s last win, where he displayed otherworldly takedown defense, might just be the key to pulling off the win.
‘The Great’ at SmackTalk podcast, episode 2, said, “Jack is only gonna get better from here. He’s probably fighting Islam now right? I think that was an incredible fight for him, for his confidence. All that early preparation with Belal is going to help the preparation for Islam. But the confidence that he would have got, like, ‘I’m very hard to take down.’ I always known that I was hard to take down, but after the Islam fight, I was like, ‘Oh man, my takedown defense went up whole another level.’ Because of the confidence.”
MMA: UFC 315 – Muhammad v Della Maddalena May 10, 2025 Montreal, Quebec, CANADA Belal Muhammad red gloves fights Jack Della Maddalena blue gloves during UFC 315 at Bell Centre. Montreal Bell Centre Quebec CANADA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xEricxBoltex 20250510_jhp_bb5_0333
That’s definitely a fair take. However, Islam Makhachev brings a different kind of wrestling than Belal Muhammad. His freestyle base is seamlessly blended with Jiu-Jitsu and flashes of Judo, making him a well-rounded threat, which is far from a one-dimensional approach. That’s why it’ll be especially intriguing to see how JDM and his camp prepare to handle that level of grappling versatility.
However, the newly crowned 170-pound champ has already decided to bring Alexander Volkanovski into his future training camp. After all, the featherweight king gave Makhachev his toughest test to date, and Maddalena doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned or give away any intel.
Della Maddalena open to train with Alexander Volkanovski for the Islam Makhachev superfight
Jack Della Maddalena already has a solid team behind him, featuring coach Ben Vickers, grappling ace Craig Jones, and a lineup of seasoned experts. Add Alexander Volkanovski into that mix, and you’ve got a dream team that could make the mission a whole lot easier. As the reigning welterweight champ, Della Maddalena is fully open to teaming up with Volkanovski to improve his chances.
Della Maddalena told The West Sport. “Yeah, 100 percent, I definitely plan to. After the last two fights, I’ve spent a bit of time in Woolongong. So yeah, I think, [it will] probably be the first stop to go to Woolongong, talk to Volk, see what he reckons.”
As if the superfight wasn’t already shaping up to be a spectacle—just picture this: Craig Jones and Alexander Volkanovski in JDM’s corner, going head-to-head with Team Makhachev featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov, Javier Mendez, and company. The corner work alone could be just as captivating as the fight itself. Now, all eyes are on the UFC’s head honcho, Dana White, to lock in the date and location.
That being said, do you think that Jack Della Maddalena will be booked for October for the Abu Dhabi Fight Island card? Or would the promotion target Australia? Please let us know by commenting below!
The post Handing Jack Della Maddalena Key Insights, Alexander Volkanovski Discloses Unique Perk of Fighting Islam Makhachev appeared first on EssentiallySports.
