Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker offered his perspective on a hypothetical fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev.
Speaking on the MMArcade podcast, Whittaker suggested that Makhachev would likely adopt tactics similar to those used by Belal Muhammad against Della Maddalena, but execute them with superior effectiveness. However, he posed a critical question regarding the striking dynamics: “If Volkanovski was able to connect strikes on Islam, then Della Maddalena is certainly capable of doing the same.”
Whittaker highlighted Della Maddalena`s preference for fighting in close quarters, identifying it as a factor that could make him vulnerable to takedowns. He assessed Makhachev as being “much better” than Muhammad in the grappling department and also possessing stronger tactical acumen. Despite these observations, Whittaker admitted he was uncertain about the ultimate outcome, concluding his analysis by saying, “What does all this mean? I don’t have an answer.”
