Israel Adesanya sends warning to Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 322 - ‘He’s going to get hurt’
Israel Adesanya does not think Islam Makhachev’s move up to welterweight will go as planned for the Russian at UFC 322, reports Sports News Blitz’s Niall Togher.
After establishing himself as one of the greatest lightweights of all time, with wins over the likes of Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier, Makhachev is attempting to capture a title in a second weight class this weekend as he makes the move to 170 pounds.
Standing in his way is the newly minted welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, who won the belt back in May with a dominant victory over Belal Muhammad.
Currently riding an 18-fight winning streak, the Australian appears to be one of the toughest tests of Makhachev’s career so far on paper, a sentiment shared by Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya predicts Jack Della Maddalena to defeat Islam Makhachev
Similar to Della Maddalena, Makhachev is currently riding an impressive win streak of his own, spanning 15 fights.
This, along with their fascinating clash of styles, makes it one of the highest-level fights one could stage today in the current MMA landscape.
Despite this, former two-time UFC middleweight champion Adesanya thinks Della Maddalena will win decisively this weekend.
Speaking on his personal YouTube channel FREESTYLEBENDER, Adesanya said:
“When Jack keeps getting up, it’s going to be a problem. Islam’s going to be forced to strike, and when he’s forced to strike with Jack, he’s going to get hurt.
“Even Dustin [Poirier] was able to get up and stop his submissions...I’ve seen live what Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] can do with Islam.
“I know he’s going to hurt Islam.”
The only defeat of Makhachev’s professional MMA career came via knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins back in 2015, and if Adesanya’s prediction is correct, Della Maddalena could be the next man to separate the former lightweight champion from consciousness.
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Moving up to welterweight could make Islam Makhachev’s grappling more dominant
When breaking down the UFC 322 main event, Adesanya correctly pointed out that Volkanovski and Poirier both had success when it came to getting back to their feet after Makhachev was able to take them down.
However, the extra size that Makhachev has put on ahead of his move to welterweight, coupled with the fact that he will no longer have to drain himself to make 155 pounds, could make it harder for Della Maddalena to return to his feet if he is, in fact, taken down during the fight.
Whilst the Australian was able to neutralise most of Muhammad’s grappling during his last fight, it is worth considering that Makhachev has far more finishing potential on the ground compared to Muhammad when it comes to submissions.
If Della Maddalena is to retain his title, it will likely come from outstriking Makhachev and keeping the fight on the feet, as Adesanya said.
But it is also worth considering for Della Maddalena and Co. that at welterweight, Makhachev’s grappling could be far more dominant than it has been in some of his more recent fights at lightweight.
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