UFC bosses have called off a tense showdown between the two fighters ahead of their welterweight title bout at Madison Square Garden.
UFC boss Dana White had to break up a tense standoff between welterweight titleholders Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev ahead of this weekend’s bout, but the defending champion has vowed to defeat the mixed martial arts “legend” and bring the belt back to Australia.
In the showdown following Thursday’s press conference at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where UFC 322 is headlining Saturday night, both fighters went nose-to-nose and refused to break eye contact, resulting in White drawing the line between the two.
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Della Maddalena (18-2) will be making his first title defense after defeating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in May to become the champion. The 29-year-old Australian is undefeated in the UFC and is currently on an 18-fight win streak.
The 34-year-old Makhachev (27-1), considered a pound-for-pound master and on a 15-fight winning streak, gave up his lightweight belt to move up a division.
Della Maddalena was quiet, but his Dagestani opponent was clearly a fan favorite, as he appeared unfazed by heavy boos from the crowd at Thursday night’s press conference.
“This is what I got from this sport: big challenges, big moments. I’m excited about the challenge and I’m looking forward to it,” Della Maddalena said.
“I’m definitely going to bring this belt back to Australia,” he added.
“Obviously Islam is a legend. A big win against him would put a big name on his resume and definitely put him on the pound-for-pound list.”
In response, Makhachev said he expects to win 4-0 against the Australian fighter. Makhachev could have lumped New Zealander Dan Hooker into that list, though, as the Australian’s only opponent to date has been Alexander Volkanovski, and Makhachev has won twice.
“Australia, it’s a good place. I’ve been there and I like it and now we’re 3-0 and we’re going to win four,” he said.
Della Maddalena hit back by saying that several Australian fighters are active in the UFC.
“I’m very proud to be Australian and very proud to fly the Australian flag,” he said.
“Australia is very competitive and has a fighting culture and that’s why we’re doing so well. We’ve had two champions and we’ll still have two champions after this weekend.”
Della Maddalena and Makhachev are both versatile fighters, but the Australian is known for his boxing and the Dagestani is known for his ferocious groundwork.
When asked if Della Maddalena is the best boxer in the UFC, Makhachev replied with a smile, “I don’t know.”
“Jack is one of the best players, but I’m also a good striker, so let’s see who’s better,” he said.
Meanwhile, Della Maddalena told reporters that he could “absolutely” defend Makhachev’s takedown attempts throughout the fight, just as he defended effectively in his victory over Muhammad.
“I can do as much as I want in 25 minutes,” he said with a wry smile to himself.
