"I’ve never done that with anybody" - Islam Makhachev's coach makes startling revelation ahead of Jack Della Maddalena UFC 322 fight

Safe to say Islam Makhachev and his team are leaving no stone unturned for the Jack Della Maddalena fight. AKA head coach Javier Mendez, especially, is pulling out all the stops to ensure his pupil is well prepared for the challenge ahead.

Having spent most of his career as a lightweight, many wonder whether Makhachev would be too small for the reigning welterweight champion. Della Maddalena also echoed this sentiment while speaking at an MMA event in Australia earlier this year.

Mendez, however, is undeterred by these assertions and is instead focusing on preparation. During a recent interview with Submission Radio, the MMA coach addressed the Australian's claims, saying:

"His camp also alluded to the fact that Islam is easy to figure out — I don’t know what their plan is, I really don’t. All I know is we are prepared for a super tough JDM and don’t care what I hear on any side. I know what we are dealing with - we’re dealing with a hell of a champion that we respect."

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Mendez then made a startling revelation, saying:

"I’ve watched the fight between him and Belal Muhammad seven times, and I’ve never done that with anybody. Seven times I've watched it, because I respect him. He is good. I believe we are going to beat him, but we are doing our homework."

Check out Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez's comments below:

Makhachev and Della Maddalena will lock horns at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Dagestani is currently a -265 favorite for the fight, with the welterweight kingpin as a +200 underdog.

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Javier Mendez explains why Jack Della Maddalena is Islam Makhachev's toughest challenge

Many believe Jack Della Maddalena is Islam Makhachev's toughest challenge to date. The sentiment has been echoed by Makhachev's friend and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, in the lead-up to UFC 322, and now his coach, Javier Mendez, has explained why.

During the aforementioned interview, Mendez stated that Maddalena was a complete fighter with no obvious deficiencies in his overall MMA game. Elaborating on the topic, he said:

"Everything about him. His offense, his defense, his ground game, everything. The guy's the total package. He really, really is. You know, he's not weak in any area, in my opinion. And I don't see a clear-cut way to victory with him. I see us having to earn what we're going to get. You know, there's no easy way with him. He's too good everywhere." [9:41 minutes into the interview]

Edited by Ujwal Jain