Jack Della Maddalena has taken the UFC world by storm. The Australian fighter was surely touted as a tough match for Belal Muhammad. But the manner in which he strategically broke the former champion has got everyone talking. As Maddalena looks up to face Islam Makhachev, analysis regarding his fighting style is going overboard. And one such statement comes from UFC star, Anthony Smith.
In a recent episode of his ‘On Paper With Anthony Smith’ podcast, Smith termed Maddalena as a ‘better version of Poirier.’ Citing Poirier’s fight with Makhachev, Smith opined that ‘The Diamond’ did push Makhachev to his limits. And now, after looking at Della Maddalena, the UFC star thinks that the Aussie is a bigger, stronger, and improved version of Poirier. Naturally, this would make things utterly interesting for Makhachev.
“Like, he was able to push Islam. And so, I just thought maybe [Della Maddalena] is a bigger, stronger, younger, maybe better version of Poirier, which makes it interesting,” said Smith.
Surely, the statement alone clarifies that the hype is real about Jack Della Maddalena. And to put further fuel to the same, Della Maddalena recently broke down how he would floor the former lightweight champion.
Jack Della Maddalena Confident About Defeating Islam Makhachev
Della Maddalena seems to be the latest emerging phenom in the UFC. Having won the championship from Belal Muhammad, the Australian fighter is now up for an even bigger challenge. With Islam Makhachev in line next, the general consensus is that the Dagestani will get an easy victory. But Della Maddalena thinks otherwise.
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The Aussie opined that he would be landing a lot of shots and is hopeful of knocking the Dagestani down. And that’s not all. Della Maddalena also sounded confident about defending Makhachev’s vicious takedowns.
“I think I can land a lot of shots and I think I can take him out. Stuff the takedowns. If I get taken down, I believe I can get back to my feet,” Della Maddalena said in a recent interaction with Ariel Helwani.
JDM believes he can knock out Islam Makhachev 👀
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 13, 2025
“I think I can land a lot of shots and I think I can take him out.
Stuff the takedowns. If I get taken down, I believe I can get back to my feet.”
🎥 @arielhelwani #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/kUDlcVhN7s
Surely, the heat is rising. With both Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev getting ready for the showdown, it now remains to be seen how things pan out inside the octagon.
Also Read: Team Jack Della Maddalena Reveals Pleasant Prediction 10 Years Ago That Came True
