Jacques Della Madarena knows he has a tough job before him, so why not choose the brain of a man who shared an octagon with Islamic Makhachev on two different occasions?
Della Maddalena recently won the UFC Welterweight title in a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovsky faced Makhachev twice, including a decision loss in the 2023 fight for MMA fight at the first conference at UFC 284.
Volkanovski has achieved more success against Makhachev. So Della Maddalena was asked if she would choose the brain of the two-time 145-pound champion before her matchup with Makhachev.
“Yeah, 100%, I definitely plan,” Della Madarena told West Sports. “After the last two fights, I spent a bit of time at Woolongong, I think so. I think it’s probably the first stop to go to Woolongong, talk to Volk and see what he’s thinking.”
The results of the UFC 315 main event were heavy based on both the welterweight and the lightweight division, based on the promotion and where Makhachev reached the UFC 317 main event on June 28th. Had Muhammad had won, Makhachev would have defended the lightweight title against Ilia Topria, but now Topria will fight Charles Oliviera and the vacant belt.
Makhachev has a path to becoming a champion in two different weight classes, as his friend and training partner are no longer champions at 170 pounds. In the eyes of Della Maddalena, he believes that matchups are mostly thought to have some warnings between Makhachev and Muhammad.
“Islam is a better version of Beral,” Della Madrena said. “I think it’s easier than a Beral to surprise your feet. He’s more… he’ll stay in one stance.
“But I think we’ll start to look at all these fights again, have a solid game plan, then start working on it. Now we’re going to start working on how to beat him, how to get back to his feet, how to pack a takedown, and I’m sure we can do this.”