Colby Covington sees Islam Makhachev’s grappling being a key factor against Jack Della Maddalena.
Welterweight champion Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against former lightweight champ Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) in the UFC 322 main event on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC), a former UFC interim 170-pound champ, expects Makhachev’s skill to make up for his size disadvantage.
“It’s an interesting fight. I’m excited to see how it goes,” Covington said in an interview with Helen Yee. “Islam is a lightweight. He’s going to be a little smaller in the fight, but he’s a well-rounded fighter. So if he’s able to take down JDM and control him, he could definitely get the job done. But it’s going to be interesting to see how the size advantage plays a difference in the fight.”
According to FanDuel, Makhachev is a -260 favorite over Della Maddalena, who’s a +196 underdog.
“I seen the odds were pretty big. They favored Makhachev like 3-1,” Covington said. “So I guess I’ve got to go with the odds if they’re going 3-1, but just because JDM doesn’t have good takedown defense. But you never know. It’s a fight, and JDM has some good hands, so it should be an exciting fight for the fans.”
