Islam Makhachev is riding an incredible 15-fight win streak in the UFC. Nobody appears to have the answer to the Dagestani’s sambo, as the 35-year-old heads into UFC 322 on November 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York, against Jack Della Maddalena. However, one man has become a constant thorn in the former lightweight champion’s side, and he’s not even part of the UFC: Craig Jones.

Jones played a key role in Alexander Volkanovski’s preparation for both of his fights against Makhachev in 2023, where the first fight turned out to be the toughest test of the Russian’s career. The Australian BJJ star has also been helping Jack Della Maddalena, notably in his win over Belal Muhammad earlier this year, where he stuffed most of Muhammad’s takedown attempts. This likely might cause issues for Makhachev, but he has just been handed the key to Jones’ “cheat code.”

Din Thomas shows Islam Makhachev how to solve Jack Della Maddalena

For UFC fighter and renowned coach Din Thomas recently joined Laura Sanko on ‘One on One,’ where he broke down how Islam Makhachev can counter Craig Jones’ so-called ‘Dagestani Blueprint.’ According to Thomas, the key lies in taking Della Maddalena down early. “I think that Islam’s best chances are going to be really, really early… The Craig Jones element is a hack. It is a cheat code. Now, if you can get a man down early and just finish him before he gets started on his cheat codes, problem solved,” he said.

Thomas emphasized that Makhachev’s Australian opponent doesn’t have a wrestling background, so the Russian must force mistakes early. “If I’m Islam, [you’ve] got to try to catch this man… Because Jack wasn’t, like, the greatest grappler prior. Like, he doesn’t come from, like, a grappling background. Like, he’s competent, but if you can catch him early and get him to start making a mistake early and then just never let him out.”

He argued that if Makhachev can deny ‘JDM’ the chance to use the “cheat codes” learned from Jones, “that’s where Islam can excel,” Thomas concluded during the interview. Despite Jones’ involvement, Makhachev has repeatedly proven he can weather elite challenges. He showed such resilience not just against Alexander Volkanovski but also against Dustin Poirier, both of which were tough fights for the Russian. 

Din Thomas spoke of Makhachev’s last fight, where the former lightweight champ made easy work of Renato Moicano by submitting him in the first round. We should bear in mind that Moicano is a BJJ black belt. Thomas insists that this is the approach that Makhachev should employ from the get-go, to thwart Maddalena’s rhythm, especially considering ‘JDM’ doesn’t hail from a grappling background. Still… the welterweight champ stuffed Belal Muhammad’s takedowns using his uncanny defensive technique, where he’d drop levels with his hands up, protecting his face, thereby stopping punches and takedown attempts at the same time. That aspect, combined with Craig Jones’ wizardry, might be cause for concern for Makhachev fans.

While moving up in weight could pose new challenges, Islam Makhachev has insisted that he feels more comfortable competing at welterweight, having previously struggled to make lightweight. Should Makhachev execute Thomas’ game plan successfully at UFC 322 later this month, he will not only become a two-division champion but also tie Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins. However, doing this might be much more difficult for Makhachev than Din Thomas realizes. 

Craig Jones and Alexander Volkanovski are adamant about handing Islam a loss

Ahead of the fight, Jack Della Maddalena has been grinding in training camp in Perth, Australia. While it’s common knowledge that Volkanovski and Jones are helping him train for the Makhachev fight, Maddalena’s coach, Ben Vickers, has revealed that Volkanovski and Jones are doing it out of their own pockets. 

“Craig has been here for weeks in an Airbnb, paying for himself. It’s unbelievable what these people will do just because they want to,” Vickers said on Maddalena’s YouTube channel. “People might think they’re getting loads of money, but that’s not the case. They just wanna help.” He further added that no one ever asked them to help, but they showed up “on his own dime and decided to help.”

It seems Craig Jones and Alexander Volkanovski really want to crack the code of Islam Makhachev’s dominance. While Volkanovski couldn’t stop him at lightweight, they want to make sure his run at welterweight comes to an end before it even begins. Do you think ‘JDM’ has what it takes?