Jack Della Maddalena’s impressive win over Belal Muhammad turned heads across the MMA world, earning him the title of the new welterweight king. The Aussie is still riding the high of his championship triumph, but the celebration won’t last long—another massive test is already on the horizon. ‘JDM’ will now be facing the soon-to-be former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for his first title defense. With the clock ticking toward a blockbuster showdown, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has stepped in with his own prediction for the freshly crowned champ as he braces for the biggest challenge of his career.
The newly crowned UFC welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, seems to be prepared for his next challenge. After his victory at UFC 315, during his post-fight interview, ‘JDM’ said, “Beautiful challenge.” Well, Robert Whittaker is also looking forward to the fight and feels it has all the makings of being a blockbuster event.
The former middleweight champion sat down for a chat with Submission Radio on their YouTube channel and shared his honest opinion on the fight. While ‘The Reaper’ believes that the fight will not be easy for the new champion, he feels JDM has the ‘X factor’ to get past the Dagestani champion.
Whittaker, while speaking on the show, said, “Okay, that’s always the question everybody asks when anybody is moving up a weight division or down a weight division. Okay, there are so many unknowns involved. But saying that, I think that Islam can do everything that Belal does, but way better. So, and the fight I thought Jack handedly had to fight, but it was a fight. So I don’t think it will be an easy fight for Jack, but I believe in Jack. I think he’s got that X factor. He’s got that hunger there. You know, he’s got the ticker. And you know, just like with Belal, just like with Burns before, it’s, yeah, I think he can do the impossible.”
In terms of size, Makhachev stands toe-to-toe with Maddalena—a fact the welterweight champ has openly recognized. Throughout his UFC journey, the Dagestani powerhouse has built a resume stacked with elite competition, and each time, he has risen to the occasion.
Stylistically, Makhachev has evolved into a well-rounded force inside the Octagon. While his wrestling remains world-class, it’s his sharp, ever-improving striking that has turned heads in recent outings. But all this has had no effect on the champion, and feels he can win his fight against Makhachev.
Jack Della Maddalena has some stern words for Islam Makhachev
Putting his elite striking on full display, Jack Della Maddalena didn’t just take the belt from Belal Muhammad—he dismantled him. The Aussie delivered a punishing performance, breaking the former champion’s orbital bone and leaving his lip gruesomely split. With ‘Remember The Name’ out of the picture, Islam Makhachev is ready to dethrone him as the champion.
However, ‘JDM’ doesn’t quite think that will happen as he believes he has the skill set to cause an upset. In a recent sit-down with Ariel Helwani, Jack Della Maddalena didn’t hesitate when asked how a potential clash with Islam Makhachev would unfold.
With calm confidence, the new champ offered a bold prediction, leaving no doubt about how he sees that fight going. Maddalena said, “I think I’m going to take him out. Take him out, I think. Belal really walks, changes stances—there’s a lot of movement. But I think if I can have someone that just stays in the same stance… and I don’t think Islam’s a very good striker, I think I could land a lot of shots, and I think I could take him out.”
Well, there’s a reason behind his confidence. Jack Della Maddalena successfully defended all the takedowns from Muhammad, who is considered by many as the best wrestler in the division. Although Makhachev is a better wrestler, the champion did show that he has a good takedown defense.
Maddalena also predicted that he would make sure that the Dagestani champion goes back to the lightweight division after their fight and said, “I think it’ll be one fight, and then he’ll probably have to go back down because of how it’ll go, yeah.” Can Jack Della Maddalena really back his words against Islam Makhachev? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “He’s Got That X Factor” – Robert Whittaker Drops Bold Prediction for Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
