Jack Della Maddalena’s dominant rise through the welterweight division came to a grinding halt last Saturday night when he suffered his first loss in more than a decade at UFC 322. Facing the suffocating wrestling brilliance of Islam Makhachev, the Australian champion found himself controlled on the mat for nearly the entirety of the five-round contest, struggling to generate any offense in what became a one-sided title fight.
Just days removed from the defeat, Della Maddalena publicly reflected on his performance, acknowledging the challenges he faced against Makhachev’s relentless grappling. While fans and fellow contenders debated his preparation and game plan, one former champion who experienced a similar setback stepped in to give his perspective — and offer a key tactical adjustment he believes could have changed the fight.
Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, who lost his own belt to Khamzat Chimaev in a similarly wrestling-heavy battle at UFC 319, weighed in on the UFC 322 main event during a recent breakdown for Fight Forecast. For Du Plessis, the core issue wasn’t that Della Maddalena lacked striking moments — it was that he didn’t force the type of exchanges where he was most effective.
“In terms of game plan, he had some brilliant moments when he got his shots off, especially in the clinch. I think he should have initiated the clinch a bit more because when they are standing at range, he would wait and he would be very tentative to throw because he’s scared of the takedown but he gets taken down anyway,” Du Plessis said.
His comments echo a sentiment shared by many observers who felt that by staying at range, Della Maddalena allowed Makhachev to dictate the tempo. The Russian challenger didn’t just score takedowns — he accumulated more than 19 minutes of control time without absorbing significant damage in return. While the bout was technically dominant, it raised discussions around rule changes due to the lack of action in prolonged grappling stretches.
That debate mirrors what occurred after UFC 319, where Chimaev’s grappling-heavy victory over Du Plessis also drew criticism from fans who expected more dynamic exchanges. In both cases, the champions struggled to separate themselves from their opponent’s pressure and found their offense stifled by elite wrestling.
For Du Plessis, the most telling part of Della Maddalena’s performance was what happened in the few moments he did work from the clinch. Those small flashes of success, he believes, should have been the foundation of the Australian’s strategy.
Instead, Della Maddalena appeared hesitant, torn between wanting to engage and fearing the takedown threat. That internal conflict allowed Makhachev to control where and how the fight took place — something Du Plessis understands all too well.
A Lesson Hooker Has Already Reflected On
Interestingly, Du Plessis isn’t the only fighter discussing the psychological traps that come with preparing for a high-level wrestler. Ahead of his UFC Qatar main event this weekend, Dan Hooker spoke about the dangers of spending too much time training solely to avoid being taken down — a mindset that can undermine the ability to actually win.
Hooker, who also suffered a loss to Makhachev in 2021, described how an overly defensive approach can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“It just puts you down into a defensive mindset where you’re almost like mentally creating the situation because the last three weeks of your life has just been defending. That’s how I’m not going to lose the fight but that’s not how I’m going to win the fight,” Hooker said while speaking to TheMacLife.
Hooker plans to keep his fight with Arman Tsarukyan standing — just as Della Maddalena hoped to do — but he emphasized that focusing purely on avoiding danger is a mistake. It is a familiar narrative among fighters entering matchups with smothering grapplers: the challenge is not only physical but mental, and the path to victory often requires confidence in one’s strengths, not fear of an opponent’s.
The Tactical Puzzle of Elite Wrestling
Della Maddalena’s loss — like Du Plessis’ defeat months earlier — showcases the harsh reality of facing the sport’s top pressure grapplers. Fighters known for explosive striking often struggle to launch offense when constantly defending takedown threats. Every feint becomes dangerous, every step forward a risk.
Du Plessis believes Della Maddalena could have neutralized some of Makhachev’s best work by embracing the clinch rather than avoiding it. Initiating close-range exchanges would have limited Makhachev’s ability to shoot cleanly and allowed the champion to work his short-range boxing, which has historically been one of his most potent tools.
But choosing to enter the clinch takes commitment — the kind that’s hard to muster when every mistake can lead to a takedown. Given the immense pressure of a title defense and the stylistic nightmare Makhachev presents, the hesitation is understandable. Yet it created a cycle where the champion stayed at a distance too long, waiting for openings that never arrived.
Du Plessis’ analysis ultimately highlights a larger truth: the ability to dictate range is often the determining factor in fights involving elite wrestlers. Without that control, even the most skilled strikers struggle to impose their game.
What Comes Next?
As for Della Maddalena, the defeat ends an incredible run but hardly diminishes his status as a top-tier contender. Fighters often evolve the most after a dominant loss, and if he incorporates the lessons from UFC 322 — including Du Plessis’ suggestion to take initiative in the clinch — the Australian could return to the title picture sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Hooker’s upcoming fight against Tsarukyan may further illuminate how fighters adapt after falling to the same opponent. His mindset shift — from avoiding losing to actively trying to win — mirrors what Du Plessis believes Della Maddalena needed.
The answers to these tactical questions will unfold both in the aftermath of UFC 322 and inside the cage in Qatar, where Hooker will test whether his new approach can break the pattern that has troubled so many before him.
