UFC 322 saw Islam Makhachev deliver a masterclass, dominating Jack Della Maddalena over five suffocating rounds to capture two-division gold. The Dagestani dismantled the Australian with clinical precision, mixing sharp combinations with punishing calf kicks that compromised Della Maddalena early. The damage to his lead leg became so severe that he was forced to switch stances, abandoning his trademark southpaw offense and limiting the tools that had fueled his rise to the title.
From there, it was all Makhachev. His relentless grappling and suffocating top pressure took over, breaking Della Maddalena as the fight wore on. Once the bout hit the canvas, Makhachev imposed his will with dominant control and ground-and-pound, racking up over 18 minutes of control time en route to a lopsided unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
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The victory not only secured the welterweight crown but also snapped Della Maddalena’s 18-fight winning streak and unbeaten UFC run. The aftermath proved mentally taxing for the Australian, who now prepares for his return at UFC Perth against Carlos Prates in front of a hometown crowd.
Speaking candidly at UFC Perth media day, Della Maddalena reflected on the defeat and its immediate impact. He said, “It’s part of the game. Wins and losses, that’s what this sport’s about. Yeah, it haunted me for a few nights for sure, but I was always expected to fight some of the big challenges, obviously.”
While he acknowledged a clash with Prates was inevitable, he admitted he had envisioned it under different circumstances. He added, “Carlos was someone I definitely thought I was going to fight at some point. It would be nice to be fighting him as the champion, but that’s just not the way it turned out.”
The loss to Makhachev marked the first setback of Della Maddalena’s UFC career after an impressive 8-0 start. Still, in the months since, he and his team have taken time to assess what went wrong. There is a growing belief within his camp that sharing the Octagon for five rounds with one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best will ultimately serve as a valuable learning experience—one that could shape the next phase of his career.
He further broke down the lessons from the fight, explaining how his team has approached the rebuild. “Obviously, some technical things didn’t go my way in the fight, so we went back, looked at those, looked at the reasons why we couldn’t get those things off, and try and rebuild off those, but yeah, different stylistic matchup [against Prates] for sure.”
Despite the setback against Makhachev, the context of that loss matters. The Dagestani has built a resume defined by dominance, previously snapping Charles Oliveira’s 11-fight winning streak and halting Alexander Volkanovski’s remarkable 22-fight run. He is also tied with Anderson Silva for the most consecutive wins in UFC history at 16, further cementing his place among the sport’s elite.
Add to that his record-setting four title defenses at lightweight, and Makhachev’s legacy at 155 pounds stands as one of the most dominant the division has ever seen. By any measure, losing to a fighter of that caliber is far from a career-defining setback. Now, attention shifts to what lies ahead for Della Maddalena.
A win over Prates would keep him firmly in the welterweight title picture, a division that has remained highly competitive in recent months. With Makhachev moving forward with his own plans, current indications suggest a potential clash with Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia. If both men continue on winning paths, the possibility of a rematch looms as an intriguing storyline, one that could carry very different stakes the next time around.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.