Former lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) and in full preparation to try to defend the welterweight crown (up to 77,1 kg) for the first time next month, Islam Makhachev was already a winning and successful name even before making the transition to MMA. A member of the Dagestan Clan and training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov since childhood, the Russian was a two-time world champion in Sambo and always made a point of praising his martial art of origin, which has already led to provocations to jiu-jitsu, as Craig Jones recalled in an interview on 'The Ariel Helwani Show' last Monday (6).
Jones, a two-time ADCC silver medalist who shared the mat with some of the best grappling names of the last decade, also dedicated himself to sharpening the grappling skills of big names in MMA. In this context, he actively participated in the training camps of Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena for Islam Makhachev . After watching his compatriots get defeated, he ended up being provoked by the current leader of the pound-for-pound ranking.
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“It was funny because, when the fight was over, Jack (Della Maddalena) stood up and Islam started yelling at me. The fight was still going on and I don’t know why he was yelling at me. He was saying something like, ‘Where’s your jiu-jitsu now?’ And I was just thinking, ‘You didn’t get the submission, man’,” said Jones.
Craig Jones on his much-discussed exchange with Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov following UFC 322:
"Islam was screaming at me. The fight was still going on… He's like, 'Where is your jiu-jitsu now?' I was thinking in my head, 'You didn't get a submission, bro.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 6, 2026
Jones said he influenced the duel between Makhachev and Maddalena.
Craig Jones (right) assisted Jack Della Maddalena (left) in training for UFC 315. Photo: Zuffa LLC/UFC
Recalling the confrontation between Makhachev and Maddalena, the Australian said he believes that the exchanges of provocations before the fight may have helped his pupil, who managed to resist until the end of the 25 minutes, despite being dominated and defeated by unanimous decision.
“When we had the fight against Islam, it was obviously disappointing, but I was very proud of him for persisting and not getting submitted. I'd like to take some credit for that, since I've talked so much trash about Islam—he still hasn't submitted anyone I've watched from the corner. And I think he really wanted that submission against Jack. There was that back-and-forth after the fight and everything. So, I feel like, in a way, I protected Jack from ground and pound, because Islam was thinking, 'I'm going to submit this guy and shut up all these jiu-jitsu people once and for all,'” he concluded.
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