"He’s bigger, he’s fast" - Beneil Dariush picks Jack Della Maddalena to hand Islam Makhachev a tough reality check at UFC 322

Beneil Dariush recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming welterweight title fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. He is confident that the Australian fighter will outwork the former UFC lightweight champion.

Della Maddalena and Makhachev are set to compete in the main event of UFC 322 on Nov. 15, which will mark the Australian fighter's first title defense. Weeks ahead of the fight, Dariush indicated that he is leaning toward Della Maddalena to win the battle in an interview with Submission Radio.

When asked to explain his reasons, the UFC lightweight veteran said:

"I don't have a logical reason for it, but I just been thinking more about it. He's bigger, he's fast. It's not like he's a slow fighter. He's young. There's not a whole lot like in his game. [Jack Della Maddalena] showed a whole different game. I've seen his old fights. If I watched just his old fights and not watch his most recent fight with Belal, I would definitely be like, 'Okay, Makhachev has this fight.' But after watching him fight with Belal, I think his chances of winning are a lot better."

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Check out Beneil Dariush's comments below (15:42):

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Khabib Nurmagomedov shares inspirational message ahead of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev clash

Islam Makhachev currently has a 15-fight winning streak and previously defended the UFC lightweight championship four times before vacating the title. His upcoming match against Jack Della Maddalena presents him with the opportunity to become a two-division UFC champion.

In the weeks leading up to the fight, Makhachev's mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, shared a message on Instagram. Captioning the post, he wrote:

"So, our whole lives went side by side in the hall, helping each other to become better and stronger. Soon we will follow the historic second belt, and in the meantime, the work continues. 33 days before the historical fight in Madison Square Garden. See you guys in New York. @islam_makhachev ready to go." [Translated from Russian to English via Instagram]

Edited by Nilaav Gogoi