Was Jack Della Maddalena's defeat to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 really as underwhelming as it seemed? MMA legend Chael Sonnen didn't hold back, calling out what he saw as a major letdown in the former welterweight champ's effort—and it's got fans buzzing about whether Della Maddalena just didn't bring his A-game.
If you're new to MMA, UFC events like 322 are high-stakes battles where fighters need to showcase a mix of striking, grappling, and endurance to win. In this main event, Della Maddalena faced off against the dominant lightweight king Islam Makhachev, and from the get-go, things looked one-sided. Sonnen, a former UFC title contender himself with years of experience in the octagon, shared his blunt assessment right after the fight during ESPN's post-event coverage.
"I really think Jack fell short of what we expected," Sonnen remarked. "Ten minutes in, and he hadn't landed a single strike. By the 20-minute mark, he'd only attempted 31 punches total, with just 20 connecting—and most of those were jabs to the body rather than anything aggressive up top. I kept hoping he'd ramp it up, but it was the same old pattern over and over: defend, reset, repeat. Sure, a solid double-leg takedown is a wrestling staple—for beginners, that's a fundamental move where you shoot in low to grab your opponent's legs and bring them down—but Della Maddalena wasn't using it to his advantage here. It felt like he was just going through the motions."
To put this into perspective, let's look at the official fight statistics from UFC Stats, which track every strike, takedown, and moment of control. Della Maddalena managed to land only 30 out of his 74 attempted strikes throughout the entire 25-minute bout—a pretty low success rate that highlights his struggles. Meanwhile, Makhachev was on fire, connecting on 140 of 188 strikes, which shows his precision and volume. Adding to Makhachev's dominance, he executed four successful takedowns, keeping Della Maddalena grounded for a whopping 19 minutes and 10 seconds. For those just getting into the sport, control time is crucial because it drains your opponent's energy and limits their chances to strike back from a favorable position.
But here's where it gets controversial: Was Della Maddalena's conservative approach a smart defensive strategy against Makhachev's grappling prowess, or was it a sign of fear holding him back? UFC analyst and former fighter Anthony Smith, who knows a thing or two about facing elite competition, echoed Sonnen's disappointment on the same post-fight show. "I was let down by Jack's overall activity and how he handled getting back to his feet," Smith explained. "He didn't push Islam enough to make him sweat or change his game plan. Instead, Della Maddalena seemed okay just surviving in those grappling positions. Makhachev went after a few submission attempts—like armbars or chokes from the bottom—but Jack made it too easy for him, without forcing any real urgency. On the feet, where Della Maddalena shines as a striker, he barely got started. His best work comes from chaining punches together in combos, switching stances mid-strike to catch opponents off guard, or targeting the body to wear them down over time. But none of that happened here. Why would Makhachev need to elevate his effort when Jack wasn't demanding it?"
This critique has sparked debates among fans and experts alike—after all, Della Maddalena is a proven knockout artist with a string of impressive wins, so seeing him stifled like this raises questions about matchup styles in MMA. And this is the part most people miss: Sometimes, a fighter's 'underperformance' might be a calculated risk to avoid a worse beating, preserving energy for later rounds. Yet, in a title fight like this, bold aggression often wins the day.
What do you think? Did Chael Sonnen nail it with his take on Della Maddalena's effort, or is there more to the story—like Makhachev's overwhelming skill set forcing a shell defense? Should fighters like Jack take more risks against grapplers, even if it means eating damage? Drop your thoughts in the comments below—I'd love to hear if you agree, disagree, or have a hot take of your own!
By Bryan Tucker, Managing Editor-in-Chief of MMA Fighting and Executive Director of Combat Sports at SB Nation. He's been steering MMA Fighting since 2009, bringing in-depth analysis to fans worldwide.
