UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena is ready to try and send Islam Makhachev back to the lightweight division this weekend.
On Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena will put his welterweight gold on the line when he takes on Islam Makhachev. Islam is working his way up to 170 pounds from the lightweight division with the hopes of becoming a two-weight world champion, cementing his legacy as one of the best ever.
Of course, Jack Della Maddalena is not going to just give up. He’s looking to prove he’s the rightful welterweight champion in the wake of his title win over Belal Muhammad, which in itself surprised a lot of people considering how dominant Belal looked against Leon Edwards in his own championship victory.
In a recent interview, Jack Della Maddalena made some interesting comments when asked about the story of him beating a “legit lightweight” if he can get the job done against Makhachev in New York City.
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“I’m actually hoping for that story [beating down a lightweight]Della Maddalena told MMA Fighting. “That means I did my job and put him back in his place.” Honestly, that’s the kind of story I hope comes the day after the fight: He’s only a lightweight and he was never going to do well in the welterweight division.
“That’s about what I’m hoping for. That’s it [sending him packing back to 155 pounds].”
“It’s a tough call because he obviously hasn’t done anything in the welterweight division, but I think his resume is very respectable,” Della Maddalena said of Makhachev. “He’s done a pretty good job in that division of cleaning things up. It’s cool.
“Before a champion moves up, you have to at least clear the division. I feel like he’s done that, so I feel like he deserves this spot. He deserves to have a shot at a big historic fight. I think it’s a big challenge. Definitely the biggest challenge of my career.”
Quotes via MMA fighting
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