Jack Della Maddalena believes his path to a welterweight title rematch against Islam Makhachev goes through one man, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) suffered the first loss of his UFC run when he faced Makhachev at UFC 322, which was also his first attempt at defending the welterweight title he won by defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. The now-former champ believes he can get a rematch with Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) if he hands Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) his first career loss.
Advertisement
“Yeah, that would be the dream,” Della Maddalena said during a live stream with N3on. “That’s why I want to fight Shavkat, ’cause beating someone like that, you get thrown right back in there.”
Rakhmonov’s last appearance was at UFC 310 against Ian Machado Garry, whom he defeated by unanimous decision. He entered that fight with a torn meniscus and partial ACL tear, and has been sidelined ever since due to those injuries. However, Rakhmonov recently stated he’s getting back in shape to prepare for a return, which could line up with Della Maddalena’s return to the octagon.
If Della Maddalena’s scenario plays out, getting back into the cage with Makhachev would mean once again dealing with the dominant grappling game of Makhachev. Over the course of 25 minutes, Makhachev racked up 19:10 of control time, according to UFC Stats.
“Obviously, his wrestling is good,” Della Maddalena said. “His top position is good. He’s good at just holding people down, pinning. He’s really good at pinning people, and I got stuck there.”
Advertisement
If Della Maddalena’s “dream” scenario doesn’t go his way, there are other welterweight contenders that he would love to try to bounce back against.
“Maybe like Michael Morales or Carlos Prates, one of those guys,” Della Maddalena said.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jack Della Maddalena sees short path to Islam Makhachev title rematch
