"Brett OkamotoNov 14, 2025, 07:51 AM ET CloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time."
"NEW YORK -- Ben Vickers has to be, by his own admission, one of the least-qualified trainers to be involved in a UFC title fight at Madison Square Garden. Vickers is the head coach of Scrappy MMA in Perth, Australia, home of UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-2), who will make his first defense at UFC 322 on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV, prelims at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+). Across the cage from Della Maddalena will be former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (27-1) -- and the championship lineage he represents."
""I have no credentials, none," Vickers told ESPN. "I have no fight career to fall back on. I'm not a lifelong martial artist. I believe I deserve to be here, but I don't know how I got here.""
Ben Vickers is head coach of Scrappy MMA in Perth and trains UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, who will defend his title at UFC 322. Della Maddalena will face former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, widely regarded and ranked second pound-for-pound by ESPN. Makhachev is coached by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Javier Mendez, both established figures in MMA coaching. Vickers admits he lacks traditional credentials, a pro fighting background and lifelong martial arts experience. Tapology lists Vickers with a professional MMA record of 0-2. Vickers' top-level coaching experience began with Della Maddalena's UFC debut in 2022.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]