UFC welterweight champion
Jack Della Maddalena
He has set his eyes on a bout at Madison Square Garden against the top-ranked fighter in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Islam Makhachev
, the Australian aiming to etch his name into the illustrious history at the legendary New York City location.
Della Maddalena has finally returned to his hometown of Perth, Western Australia, after being away.
unanimous decision victory
over
Belal Muhammad
At UFC 315 in Montreal about 10 days ago, the Australian celebrated with a victory lap through his home state as its inaugural UFC champion and only the third one from Australia to date.
However, the 28-year-old hasn’t had much opportunity to savor his accomplishment, as the UFC announced only two days later that Makhachev would be giving up his lightweight title to move up to welterweight and get an instant title bout.
It’s not like Della Maddalena is shying away from the challenge; the Australian mentions that both his body and mind emerged unscathed from the convincing victory over Muhammad. He expressed his readiness to return to training as he gears up for Makhachev.
Della Maddalena suggested to newsinpo.space that this was their initial thought: should he win, that’s the fight they’d pursue next,” he said regarding conversations about his upcoming title defense. “That’s probably what will happen, and I’m looking forward to it, definitely.
Ranking number one pound for pound, he’s currently atop the game, so fulfilling this dream would mean taking him down and claiming his position.
Della Maddalena mentioned that by the end of Round 1 in Montreal, he believed he had Muhammad figured out. Despite numerous takedown attempts from his opponent, Della Maddalena’s defense remained solid. Even when taken down, he didn’t experience any moments of panic.
It was that performance that Della Maddalena thinks demonstrates he possesses the skills needed to put an end to Makhachev’s impressive undefeated streak, which currently stands at 15 consecutive UFC wins.
I am confident that I can keep the fight standing up. If it goes to the ground, I feel capable of returning to my feet quickly. However, clearly, the bout will begin upright,” Della Maddalena stated. “I believe I have an advantage when trading strikes; although it’s risky, I trust my abilities enough to outperform him during the encounter.
Islam is… perhaps a superior iteration of Belal. He likely possesses more hazardous takedowns, an enhanced striking game, higher fight intelligence, and greater title bout experience. However, I view the encounter with Belal as ideal preparation for Islam.
I figure I’ll have the edge when it comes to size against Islam, but I anticipate he will perform at his best since he won’t need to undergo the weight cut for lightweight—so he might show up as an improved version of himself. Thus, I’m ready for a challenging bout. However, as mentioned before, I trust my abilities will allow me to accomplish what’s needed.
Although his dedicated supporters in Australia would adore Della Maddalena to defend the welterweight title for the first time in his home country, the truth is that there will not be another pay-per-view event held in Australia in 2025.
However, The West Australian could hardly come up with a more splendid alternative than Madison Square Garden, considering the arena’s dazzling past in boxing and mixed martial arts.
Madison Square Garden is quite an iconic location, so I believe it would be really awesome,” he stated to newsinpo.space. “I have always dreamed of fighting there; I think it’s a significant bout, and it seems like the perfect venue.
There have been numerous remarkable bouts held there; Muhammad Ali has competed there, I believe it was Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier; it’s simply been an insane arena. Every legendary fighter has stepped into this ring; undoubtedly.
Conor McGregor
Securing dual gold medals at this event is significant since it takes place in a major location within an incredibly vibrant city. Therefore, winning the top [pound-for-pound] position here is quite advantageous.”
Della Maddalena remains optimistic that the specifics of his upcoming bout will be finalized within a few months. However, he expressed eagerness to get started with training as quickly as possible since this clash promises to be among the most highly awaited in recent UFC history. Given that the UFC has hosted pay-per-view events in New York City over the last two consecutive Novembers, Della Maddalena might have a clear idea of when he could potentially return to compete in the Octagon again.
“I’m quite certain that fighting Makhachev is the move, so we’ll likely dive right in,” he stated. “Perhaps we’ll jump in headfirst, begin developing our strategy, and start honing the skills required to take apart Islam
I believe that announcement for the showdown will come within the next couple of months. Once it does, we’ll get just one day’s notice before we dive into action.
