Coach Ben Vickers really sounded like a broken record during the Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev UFC 322 main event. “We knew this was going to happen…just move your feet a bit more and get the jab a bit busier, please,” he said at the end of round 1. As the rounds progressed, and the scenes in the cage repeated, all the former champion received was different reiterations of the same message. Get busier on the feet, jab more, hurt him more, don’t get caught in his half-guard, and then stay there – the directions were easier said than done. This begs the question: was JDM’s corner not up to the task? Ben Vickers has now come forward to answer that.

When the fight ended with a 50-45 unanimous decision win for Makhachev, Della Maddalena’s face did not wear any damage. It wore a

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