Belal Muhammad thinks UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena’s scrambling could cost him against Islam Makhachev.

Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) in the UFC 322 main event on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Della Maddalena has proven his ability to get back to his feet when taken down when he stuffed six of Muhammad’s nine takedown attempts in their title fight at UFC 315. However, Muhammad warns Della Maddalena not to give up position against a submission specialist like Makhachev.

“It’s going to come down to if it hits the ground,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “If it hits the ground, for Islam, I think his top game is going to be really good. He’s very smart, very controlled and doesn’t let you off the hook when you make a mistake. Jack makes mistakes on the ground. He uses it to scramble. He has good scrambling ability. He has moments where he lapses safety. He’ll give up his back, he’ll give up his neck, he’ll give up an arm-triangle, and you can’t do that with Islam. Islam is going to see that, and he’s going to exploit it. I think if Islam comes out wrestling right away and forces that takedown right away, making Jack work, it’s going to be a long night for Jack.

“For myself, seeing him, being in there with him, he’s very smart. He’s good on the feet, he has good hands, he doesn’t give up on himself. He always pushes through. So Jack’s not going to be a quitter, but he has to take the center. He has to be in the middle. He has to force the action, and try not to get his back to the fence, because we’ve seen in the Poirier fight, Islam really wants to get you to the fence. Poirier did a good job of keeping him in the center, and he defended a couple of takedowns. Honestly, I just think that Islam’s takedown offense is going to be more than Jack’s takedown defense. Then when it goes to the ground, it’s going to be a bad night.”

Having trained with Makhachev and fought Della Maddalena, Muhammad gave his final prediction.

“I think I’m going to pick Islam in this fight to win it,” Muhammad said. “If it goes to the ground, I think it’s going to be a finish.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad breaks down Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev

MMA Mixed Martial Arts News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos