Jack Della Maddalena breaks silence on UFC 322 title loss to Islam Makhachev

Jack Della Maddalena has addressed his defeat by Islam Makhachev, five days after dropping the UFC welterweight title to the modern great.

Della Maddalena suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Makhachev on Saturday, as the pair headlined UFC 322, with all three scorecards reading 50-45 in the Russian’s favour.

It was a night to forget for “JDM”, who was making his first defence of the gold, which he won with a decision victory over Belal Muhammad in May.

The Australian, 29, could not halt the wrestling prowess of Makhachev, 34, who vacated the lightweight title earlier this year to set up a fight with Della Maddalena.

Since then, much discussion has centred on Makhachev’s first challenger for the belt at 170lb, while Della Maddalena’s next move is also up in the air.

“Thanks to those always supporting,” he wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “Islam is one of the greats and deserved to win.

“I will learn and move forward.”

By beating JDM at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, Makhachev halted the Aussie’s 18-fight win streak and extended his own to 16.

With Makhachev’s consecutive victories – dating back to 2015 – having all taken place in the UFC, he has equalled Anderson Silva’s all-time record.

Prior to UFC 322, Della Maddalena had been unbeaten for nine years since losing his first two professional fights, both in 2016.

Makhachev’s victory on Saturday also cemented him as the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 fighter, after he broke the record for successful lightweight title defences.

In a reign from October 2022 until this January, Makhachev’s four successful defences of the belt saw him overtake his coach and childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.