Jack Della Maddalena doesn’t mind being the underdog.
After putting in a dominant performance against Belal Muhammad to claim the welterweight world title in May, ‘JDM’ will put his gold on the line against former 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev in the UFC 322 headliner at Madison Square Garden.
Despite entering the fight as the defending defending champion, Della Maddalena is a significant underdog, with Makhachev a near 3-to-1 favorite to become the UFC’s next two-division king.
“I feel like the fighters always tend to lean towards the champion,” Della Maddalena said Wednesday at UFC 322 media day when asked if she would make her first title defense as an underdog. “So I don’t really pay too much attention to it. … I still feel like I’m the underdog. I still have that underdog mentality. I feel like I have everything to prove. So not much has changed. I enjoy the underdog role.”
‘JDM’ enters Saturday’s fight on an 18-fight win streak dating back to 2016. Likewise, Islam Makhachev has posted 15 straight wins, including highlight performances against Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in lightweight title fights.
Now the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ looks to engrave his name in the history books by becoming world champion in two divisions.
Things got a bit intense between Makhacheva and Della Maddalena on Thursday during their press conference confrontation. After the two refused to break eye contact, Dana White was forced to intervene and separate the two fighters before things escalated beyond a fierce staring contest.
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