Dustin Poirier has offered his assessment of a clash between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev.
Plans are in place for Maddalena to put the UFC Welterweight Championship at stake against Makhachev at some point in the coming months. While the date hasn’t been confirmed, Dana White admitted to media members that a New York City card in November might be a good landing spot for Maddalena vs. Makhachev.
Poirier believes there’s a path to victory for both men, and fans will know early which direction the bout will be headed towards.
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Poirier Dishes on Maddalena vs. Makhachev
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Dustin Poirier shared his breakdown of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev.
“I think we’ll find out in the first or second round how much trouble (Makhachev) has getting (Della Maddalena) down,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “I think if he gets those takedowns, he’s going to get the win. If Jack can stop those takedowns – he does have good takedown defense – I think the boxing and the size could wear on Islam and give him some problems. But Islam’s striking is awkward and different. You have to worry so much about the takedown.
“You can’t plant your feet and throw off those number combinations and really rip and sit on your punches because he’s going to change levels, so it changes the way you fight. For me, it did. I’m speaking from experience. We’ll see how Jack approaches and how Jack executes out there, but if you’re worried about takedowns, your shots are different. You’re not sitting on everything and standing in front of the guy, you’re trying to move and be light on your feet. I think the first two rounds will tell us how the fight is going to go.”
Makhachev is moving up to the welterweight division after vacating the 155-pound gold. Maddalena captured the 170-pound title when he defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 back in May. Maddalena was effective in his takedown defense and caused problems for Muhammad on the feet.
