
J. Della Maddalena is currently ranked 4th in the welterweight division. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jackdellamaddalena
There is a month to face Leon edwards in London in the biggest fight of his career, Jack Della Maddalena has the opportunity to stand out in the world of MMA. At 28 years old and on a 17-fight winning streak, the Australian intends to eliminate any doubts about whether he is worthy of becoming the challenger for the welterweight title (up to 77,1 kg) against the winner of Belal Muhammad | e Shavkat Rakhmonov, which still do not have an official date to face each other.
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In an interview with Canadian reporter Ariel Helwani last Wednesday (22), the fighter said he was interested in making a big impression on the rest of the category, in order to guarantee his position as number one contender.
“I think their plan (UFC) is to make this fight like a title eliminator, but they’ve never said anything. I also think it’s very performance-based, in my opinion. If I go in there and get a split decision over Leon and someone else has a great performance, they might put them ahead of me. I want to go in there and prove a point. Prove that I can do to Leon what Belal couldn’t do,” he said.
Jack Della Maddalena (left) defeated Kevin holland (dir.) in Night UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Furthermore, Della Maddalena also explained the reason for his inactivity. In his last performance, he beat the Brazilian Gilbert Durinho by knockout in the third round, in March 2024. In the duel, he suffered a fractured arm, which caused him some health problems.
“I came out of the fight with a broken arm, so I went back to Perth straight after the fight and had surgery. The surgeon said this was the best way to do it. It was basically supposed to be an easy surgery. It was just a broken ulna, I had a plate put in, but after the surgery it got infected,” said the fighter, who in total had to have four surgeries on his arm to treat the infection.
For Jack Della Maddalena, the next champion is still up for grabs
Shavkat Rakhmonov in victory in UFC 310 (Photo: Instagram)
When asked about his opinions regarding the possible confrontation between Belal Muhammad | e Shavkat Rakhmonov, the Australian was not sure when he named a favorite. As much as he recognizes the challenger's ability, he also identified ways for the Palestinian to succeed in his first belt defense.
“It’s an interesting fight. I’m not sure. I think Shavkat will get him. Maybe very aggressive, a lot of finishing ability. But even in the last fight he didn’t show that side of his fighting style, so I’m not sure. I think maybe wrestling “He can counter and the fight can stay standing. Belal has a strange style and he might be able to win. And that’s just based on Shavkat’s last performance. I know it’s tough because Garry is a big striker, so it’s a different type of matchup, but I think Belal has a good chance of beating Shavkat,” he said.
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