Jack Della Maddalena: the next level of MMA striking

Breaking down Jack Della Maddalena's win over the impressively sharp Belal Muhammad.

You’d like to say that every title fight represents the absolute pinnacle of skill in MMA, but you can’t. In fact, that seems to the case more often now than ever, with a whole slew of champions who don’t quite match up to our typical ideas of greatness. And, I have to say, Belal Muhammad was (until May 11th) very much one of those champs in my mind. Much as I personally appreciate the man’s toughness and guile, and his ability to reliably fight to a clever gameplan, I have always known that he possessed nothing close to the level of physical prowess to be found in every truly dominant champion. I didn’t expect his reign to last long.

When it was announced that his first title defense would come against Jack Della Maddalena, I was actually a little relieved. JDM was a big puncher, to be sure, but he had struggled to control many of his tougher matchups, and shown a particular tendency towards reckless decision-making in wrestling and grappling exchanges. Far better Della Maddalena, I thought, than some all-terrain terror like Shavkat Rakhmonov.

As it turned out, my expectations were defied on every side.

Back & forth

Jack Della Maddalena fought an almost impeccably brilliant fight. On the feet, he showed not only powerful and precise offense, but exceptional defense and positional awareness as well. Even better, his wrestling looked both technically and conceptually improved; the old recklessness was largely pared away, replaced by a rigorous adherence to a simple strategic philosophy: don’t get taken down, and, if you do, get back up right away.

But Della Maddalena’s performance would not have been so impressive without the efforts of Belal Muhammad, who must have surprised a lot of doubters—of which there were many, most of whom, it has to be said, did not share my appreciation for his game. But if Della Maddalena showed surprisingly stout defensive wrestling, then Belal Muhammad’s sharp, fluid striking was equally shocking. The result was a remarkably back-and-forth five rounds, in which both men sought to drive farther and farther down tactical pathways, each trying to drown the other in the ensuing complications.

Right from the beginning, Della Maddalena showed his class as a striker. Take a look.

Della Maddalena starts off gaining ground behind a pawing jab. There’s a steady rhythm to this slow encroachment that compels Muhammad to react. After two beats, he can’t help but anticipate the third: he settles his weight, apparently preparing to slip past JDM’s next pawing jab and fire the right hand. That’s when Della Maddalena breaks the rhythm. He shows Muhammad the lead hand again, but this time it’s a quick, sharp feint, which Jack uses as cover to take his own step to the left and uncork a straight right hand. I love this sort of thing: Della Maddalena’s slow, metronomic movement tricks Muhammad into thinking that he’s got his timing, when in reality he’s the one being set up up.

As JDM pivots away, Muhammad tries to reassert himself, chasing with a double jab. Della Maddalena slips the first and, staying low as he takes a step back, answers the second with a stiff, retreating jab, stopping Belal in his tracks. But only for a moment. Muhammad starts creeping back into range, drifting to the left as he does. Seeing Muhammad’s center-line momentarily exposed, Della Maddalena strikes again—and even this brief sortie speaks volumes about his ability to think past the first shot.

He leads with what appears to be a left hook. Given Muhammad’s position, squared up and leaning over his front foot, Della Maddalena must reason that this is the shot to which he will feel most vulnerable, which is to say, the surest way to get an immediate defensive reaction out of him. And that defensive reaction will give him the time he needs to connect for real. That’s why, instead of an actual left hook, Della Maddalena actually reaches out and grabs Muhammad’s right hand, denuding the champion’s defense even as he steps in on the diagonal and lands a thunderous right hand. He finds himself a little overextended after, but keeps his eyes open and chooses the right time to pivot away, so, no harm done. Except to the other guy.