Athletes
Jack Della Maddalena | Journey To Title Shot
The Australian Dana White’s Contender Series Alumnus Had A Steady, But Impressive, Rise To Title Contention Ahead Of His Shot At UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
In a division full of larger-than-life personalities and fighters happy to get on the microphone, Jack Della Maddalena leans more toward the “speak softly and carry a big stick” side of things. The 28-year-old Australian let his fighting do the talking, and when you’re racking up the knockouts he has since joining the roster, that’s plenty loud enough.
Della Maddalena needed just seven fights to find himself in title contention, and on May 10 in Montreal, he’ll challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight strap. It was a steady, but quick, rise for the Perth-born slugger, but an earned one, as well.
RELATED: Belal Muhammad Goes Down History Lane | UFC 315
It started with a strong performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021 when he battered Ange Loosa over the course of 15 minutes. Rather quickly, Della Maddalena distinguished himself as Australia’s next best hope for another champion, and he proved as much over and over again.
Before he makes the penultimate walk of the night at UFC 315, let’s take a look back on how Della Maddalena established himself as a title contender:
A Hot Start
Highlight: Jack Della Maddalena Notches Debut TKO | UFC 270: Ngannou vs Gane
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Highlight: Jack Della Maddalena Notches Debut TKO | UFC 270: Ngannou vs Gane
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The UFC matchmakers conveyed their respect for Della Maddalena when they assigned him veteran Brazilian Warlley Alves in his debut. However, when Alves was unable to fight, Della Maddalena found himself as a heavy favorite against Pete Rodriguez at UFC 270. With a different kind of pressure on him, he stepped up to the challenge and ousted the fellow debutant with ease, knocking Rodriguez out less than three minutes into the bout.
His next test came five months later against the grappling-inclined Ramazan Emeev at UFC 275. Emeev was able to get Della Maddalena down and attempt a deep submission, but Della Maddalena showed his grappling prowess, defending well before pressing his own offense. Once he returned to his feet, Della Maddalena poured it on almost immediately and connected with a pair of body shots which crumpled Emeev and secured his first performance bonus.
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The next two bouts were the real eye-openers for most. The first came in Las Vegas against veteran Danny Roberts. For the better part of two minutes, Della Maddalena showed off his slick, diverse and powerful boxing en route to another first-round knockout and another performance bonus. That result earned him a hometown assignment against the complicated puzzle that is Randy Brown. With the Perth crowd behind him at UFC 284 and all the expectations that come with that support, Della Maddalena aced the test in style. He rocked Brown early before pouncing on the American to secure his first UFC submission win (and yes, another bonus).
That win put him in the rankings, in the spotlight and on every watchlist for future title contenders.
Splitting Hairs
Although utter dominance is impressive, how a rising prospect responds to adversity is often more telling about their title hopes. That came Della Maddalena’s way in the summer of 2023.
Originally scheduled to face Sean Brady at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, Della Maddalena made the trip to Las Vegas hoping to break into the division’s Top 10. However, a week before the bout, Brady pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Josiah Harrell. Then, the day before the event, Harrell was pulled from the fight, leaving Della Maddalena without an opponent.
MORE JDM: View Della Maddalena's Athlete Profile Page | Della Maddalena's Greatest Hits
Not wanting to waste a training camp and the trip to the States, Della Maddalena stayed in Sin City and cut weight again to face Bassil Hafez the next week at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva in the UFC APEX. Hafez brought the fight to Della Maddalena, but Della Maddalena did enough to receive the split nod from the judges. It wasn’t the runaway effort most came to expect from him, but considering the context around the fight, Della Maddalena showed plenty of grit and focus in a high-risk, low-reward situation while earning Fight of the Night honors.
Another tough test came next in the form of the ever-dangerous Kevin Holland at the first Noche UFC event. The hotly anticipated affair was slower than expected, showing Della Maddalena’s ability to control the pace of a fight against the unpredictable Holland. In the end, the judges gave Della Maddalena a split decision that some felt should have been unanimous.
Contender-Status Announced
With the hype around Della Maddalena cooled slightly, he earned his toughest test to date against former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 299.
Burns put it on Della Maddalena early, shooting for, and securing, three takedowns in the first round. Della Maddalena found his rhythm progressively, although he was taken down twice more in as many attempts in the second round.
Order UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
Heading into the third round likely needing a finish, Della Maddalena worked his way out of Burns’ grasp midway through the third round and planted a perfectly timed knee on Burns, leading to a TKO finish. It was another storm weathered and one that planted him into the title picture.
Injuries kept him out of action since then, although he was preparing for a main event bout against Leon Edwards before being selected as Muhammad’s first challenger. The assignment came as a slight surprise, considering the consensus that Shavkat Rakhmonov would earn his long-awaited shot at gold, but it was an earned shot all the same.
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo took place live from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on May 3, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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