Della Maddalena: Garry deserves Makhachev shot

Jack Della Maddalena has turned his attention to the welterweight division's bigger picture following his loss at UFC Perth, publicly stating that Ian Garry deserves a crack at Islam Makhachev's welterweight title.

Della Maddalena, ranked fourth at welterweight and 13th pound-for-pound, enters this conversation off the back of a setback that has complicated his own title ambitions. The 29-year-old Australian out of Scrappy MMA carries an 18-4 record and has been one of the division's most aggressive strikers, landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute with 51 percent accuracy. At five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach, the switch-stance finisher had positioned himself as a genuine title threat before the Perth defeat.

Makhachev, the man at the top of the welterweight division, is a formidable obstacle for any contender. The 34-year-old Russian champion fights out of Eagles MMA and holds a 28-1 record while sitting at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. A southpaw with a 70-inch reach, Makhachev blends sharp striking — landing at 58 percent accuracy — with relentless grappling, averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Della Maddalena's loss opens a reshuffled contender conversation at 170 pounds, and his willingness to redirect the spotlight onto Garry signals a shift in divisional dynamics.
• Garry's recent momentum, as acknowledged by Della Maddalena himself, could influence matchmaking decisions at the top of the welterweight rankings.
• Makhachev's grappling-heavy style presents a distinct challenge for any striker-first contender, making the question of who challenges next a genuinely compelling stylistic debate.
• Cross-division interest in Makhachev adds further pressure on UFC matchmakers to clarify the welterweight title picture.