Islam Makhachev makes honest admission about potential Jack Della Maddalena fight at welterweight: "He's good everywhere"

Islam Makhachev recently discussed his potential fight against Jack Della Maddalena. In doing so, the former UFC lightweight champion also evaluated Della Maddalena's skills as a fighter.

To fulfill his dream of becoming a two-division UFC champion, Makhachev has moved up to the welterweight division. Shortly after Della Maddalena dethroned Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, the Dagestani issued a callout that was eventually accepted by the newly crowned 170-pound champion.

In an interview with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, Makhachev previewed the potential fight against Della Maddalena, saying:

"It's gonna be a hard fight. Honestly, it's gonna be. I saw his fight against Belal. He's good, man, he's good. When he [began] fighting in the UFC, he [had] problem with the wrestling. But, now he's improved because I see he training a lot with the wrestlers, with the grapplers, and that's why he's a champion right now and he's good everywhere."

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Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (11:20):

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Islam Makhachev discusses potential venue for Jack Della Maddalena fight

Although both Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev have verbally agreed to face each other, the UFC has not yet made any official announcements regarding the fight date and venue.

In the aforementioned interview with MMA Junkie, Makhachev was asked about the potential timeline and location for his welterweight championship fight. In response, the Dagestani expressed his desire to become a UFC double champion at Madison Square Garden, saying:

"Yeah, we talked about [the fight] a little bit, and we discussed. I asked Dana if we have some opportunity to fight in Madison Square Garden. It will be [an] honor for me [to] fight in the biggest arena for MMA and Boxing. It's like [a] legendary arena, and I will be happy to have the opportunity to fight in Madison Square Garden... This is a dream to be double champion in Madison Square Garden." [12:02]

Throughout his decade-long UFC career, Makhachev has never fought at Madison Square Garden. Similar to last year, a UFC event is anticipated to take place in 'The Garden' later this year.

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi