"Maddalena is big for 170" - Yoel Romero gives honest take on Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena matchup

Yoel Romero talks about Jack Della Maddalena
Yoel Romero talks about Jack Della Maddalena's (right) potential title defense against Islam Makhachev (left). [Images courtesy: Getty]

Yoel Romero recently offered his thoughts on the potential Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev title fight. The former UFC fighter expressed his admiration for Della Maddalena's skills inside the octagon, suggesting that the Australian has a large stature for the welterweight division.

Ad

Makhachev is expected to challenge Della Maddalena for the 170-pound title in the main event of UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in November. The 33-year-old's close friend and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov leaked the news during a Q&A session hosted by Miftaah Institute in New York earlier this month. However, an official announcement is yet to be made by the MMA organization.

Combat sports news outlet Red Corner MMA recently took to X and shared a clip of Romero's interview with Islam Babadzhanov of Ushatayka. The former middleweight title challenger shared his opinion on the rumored matchup, praising Della Maddalena's all-around abilities:

Ad
''It's hard because Maddalena has very good cardio, he’s a very good puncher. His wrestling is not bad either. It’s 50/50...Maddalena is big for 170.''

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Check out Yoel Romero's comments below:

Ad

Makhachev successfully made his fourth lightweight title defense by submitting Renato Moicano in the opening round at UFC 311 earlier this year. While many expected him to face Ilia Topuria in a superfight, the Dagestani vacated his 155-pound throne and moved up to welterweight. This came after Della Maddalena dethroned Makhachev's close friend and then-170-pound champion Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision at UFC 315.

As for Romero, he signed with BKFC last month and is scheduled to make his debut against Theo Doukas in a heavyweight bout at BKFC 80 on Sep. 12 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Ad

Ex-UFC fighter believes Islam Makhachev would prove to be a tough matchup for Jack Della Maddalena

In a recent episode of the Bowks Talking Bouts podcast, former UFC middleweight fighter Andrew Sanchez, who has trained at American Kickboxing Academy, shared his opinion on Jack Della Maddalena's chances against Islam Makhachev.

Citing his past training experience with the Dagestani camp, who also train at AKA, Sanchez said Makhachev would pose a serious threat to Della Maddalena:

''I trained at AKA. I trained around the Russians, but they’re very kind of like, they have their own group, their own clique. I wasn’t really in with them in that way. I mean, I think [Makhachev’s] an incredible fighter. Yeah, incredible wrestler. I couldn’t imagine Maddalena stopping his offensive wrestling to be honest.'' [18:14]

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Quick Links

Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications