UFC 316 saw Jack Della Maddalena prove to the world that he belongs in the octagon with the best of the welterweight contention. Though the question on many fans’ minds after the exhilarating main event is “what’s next for Giacomo Jack?”, as a potential title fight with Islam Makhachev hangs in the balance.
Australia and Dagestan have a lot of unfinished business, as Alex Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev’s rivalry serves as one of the most competitive yet controversial sets of bouts in UFC history. Makhachev, who boasts a 2-0 record over Volk, beat the Australian in a compelling unanimous decision victory at UFC 284, where many fans believed that ‘The Great’ had been slighted by the judges and deserved a rematch for his heroic efforts against the lightweight king. However, Volk’s fortunes were not as favourable in the UFC 294 rematch, as he was viciously knocked out after stepping into the fight on short notice for former champion Charles Oliveira, ultimately serving as the closer to their intense whirlwind of a rivalry.
Craig Jones is a man who has especially played a central part in this rivalry as the jiu-jitsu extraordinaire claimed to have solved the Dagestan/sambo wrestling enigma during the first camp with the Featherweight champion Volkanovski – a belief that was ultimately proven valid as Volk shut down much of Makchachev’s wrestling advances in their first fight. However, the axiom was in full flow on Saturday night as JDM completely shut down the wrestling pedigree of Belal, allowing him to keep the fight on the feet and secure the win on his terms. Jones jokingly shared how he skipped going on vacation to Bali to be in Maddalena’s corner for UFC 315, and his expertise and growing effectiveness against the sambo wrestling style could very well be the difference maker in a potential fight between the two champions. Islam had previously taunted a move to welterweight to become the 5th ever-simultaneous double champ in UFC history, yet his desires are quickly turning into reality after Della Maddalena dethroned his long-time friend Muhammad.
The making of this fight does come with its repercussions for the lightweight division, though, as Ilia Topuria’s hopes of becoming a double champion himself are to be put on hold with a likely number 1 contender’s fight to be made with Oliveira instead.
No matter how this matchmaking conundrum pans out, the outcome of UFC 315 promises fans multiple barnburners that will likely reshape the landscape of the welterweight and lightweight divisions for years to come.
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