T.J. Dillashaw was critical of Jack Della Maddalena’s game plan at UFC 322.
Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was controlled for over 19 minutes in his title loss to Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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Outside of the first minute of the fight, Della Maddalena was able to mount little to no offense throughout the five rounds, which surprised the former UFC bantamweight champion.
“Islam looks so strong. He made this fight look so easy,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON PODCAST. “I did not expect it to be this easy.”
Dillashaw broke down the first minute of the fight, and how Della Maddalena need to implement the same approach throughout.
“When he’s not worried about the takedowns and comes out and strikes, you’re like, ‘Oh damn, it’s going to be a f*cking problem for Islam,'” Dillashaw said. “If he keeps doing this, watch how he’s throwing his hands here. He comes out, he’s aggressive. He’s still shelled up a little bit, but he lets it go. Boom, boom, boom, put him on his backfoot. It’s hard to shoot when you’re going backwards all the time. Yes, you can time it and you can shoot in, but you also can get timed and get an uppercut or a knee down the middle as well, too. You’ve got to keep him going backwards.
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“As soon as JDM started respecting the takedown too much and not coming forward is when Islam was able to hit (the double leg). Look, he sets up his double leg from this distance now. Like, JDM is giving him this distance, to where before, he was coming forward and throwing big hooks and keeping him on his backfoot and keeping his chin high and backing up. That’s where he could have beat him. But as soon as he gives him his distance and lets him be comfortable, Islam dives in on those double legs – and they’re fast. Islam’s got good striking, but his biggest weapon in his striking is his threats of takedowns.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: T.J. Dillashaw on what went wrong for Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322
