Athletes
Jack Della Maddalena Seeking A Performance To Be Proud Of
Former Champ Discusses Fighting At Home, Returning To Action, And Goals This Weekend
Sometimes the easiest and hardest things to do are one and the same: one action, one acknowledgment that is both straightforward and daunting. In the fight game, coming away from a loss and simply stating that it wasn’t your night, that your opponent was, without question, the better of the two in there that evening, feels like a perfect representation of this dichotomy.
It’s even more challenging when you entered the fight as the champion on an extended winning streak and wake up the next morning having been on the wrong end of a one-sided affair, but that was the precise predicament Jack Della Maddalena found himself in following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 last November.
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“I think I lost to the better man,” said the former welterweight champion. “There were things I could have done better that would have given us more opportunity to get the victory, but onwards and upwards, you know? You can’t sit on it and dwell on it for too long, and now I’m looking forward to getting back in the win column.
“That’s the sport: you go in there, two men go in there to battle it out, and one’s gonna win, one’s gonna lose,” continued the 29-year-old. “I just had to take it on the chin and admit that he was the better man that night. If I wanna get that win, I’ve gotta make some big improvements, and the skill level needs to improve — which I’m happy with. I can live with that; can move forward, keep building on those skills, and hopefully will get the opportunity again to fight him.”
Jack Della Maddalena Fight Week Interview | UFC Perth
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Jack Della Maddalena Fight Week Interview | UFC Perth
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After taking some well-deserved downtime to enjoy Christmas before shifting his focus back to the 2026 campaign, Della Maddalena is now just a couple of days away from crossing off a big item on his personal and professional “to-do” list by headlining at home this weekend.
It’s not the first time he’s competed at RAC Arena in Perth, having earned a first-round submission win over Randy Brown at UFC 284 a handful of years ago in what felt, at the time, like his first real breakout effort that established him as a possible contender. But that night, he thought about this night, dreamed about this opportunity, and now, he begins what he hopes will be a journey back to the top of the 170-pound weight class with a headlining turn in his hometown.
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"It’s really special,” Della Maddalena said. “Even the last fight, the dreams, the intentions were ‘next time I fight here, I’m gonna be headlining this card,’ and it’s come around.
“Now I get to headline the hometown show, which is really a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted to do — fighting in RAC was a big dream of mine, but the bigger dream was to headline a big card in Perth in front of the crowd, so couldn’t be more excited.
“I feel good, ready to put on a good performance,” he added. “There’s definitely pressure being the hometown guy. The majority of the people in the building want me to win, but I try not to focus too much on the outcome.
“They’re the sort of things you can’t control — winning or losing — so just focusing on going out there and putting on a good performance, a performance I can be proud of. That seems easier than putting the pressure on to try to go out there and win, but just going out there and performing well.”
Main Event Preview | UFC Perth
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Main Event Preview | UFC Perth
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Like Della Maddalena, Prates is a Dana White’s Contender Series graduate who has proven to be an absolute menace for just about anyone that shares the Octagon with him to this point. In seven fights, he’s earned six stoppage wins and six Performance of the Night bonuses, including back-to-back highlight reel wins last year against Geoff Neal and former champ Leon Edwards.
Even in his lone UFC defeat —a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry last April —Prates was able to crank up the intensity and make things interesting down the stretch, and now, paired off with a former champion, the Fighting Nerds representative knows he has a tremendous opportunity to put himself in the thick of the title conversation with a win.
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And Della Maddalena is acutely aware of the challenges that await him in Saturday night’s main event.
“He’s an awesome fighter — really a dangerous guy, an exciting guy to watch,” he said. “He gets into a flow, and he looks really good. He put a lot of good fighters down for the count; it’s gonna be exciting. You’ve gotta be absolutely switched on — can’t lose focus in this one — but I believe we’ve got the skills to really push him, put a hard pace forward. I believe I’ve got the defensive skills to stay away from the big shots. I’m excited to perform, test my skills against an elite striker.”
For the hometown standout, returning to action this weekend and emerging victorious carries two different meanings — one personal and one professional, but neither is more important than the other.
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“Personally, the last performance, where I sit now, it wasn’t something I was super-proud of, so to be able to go forward on Sunday and my last performance be something where I’m happy and proud to have put forward, that’s my goal here,” explained Della Maddalena. “Professionally, staying in top contention is important.
“I think a lot of things happen with these fights — people fall in, fall out all the time, so if I can solidify myself as the No. 1 guy if any fights fall through, I can jump at it and maybe be back in the opportunity for a world title. But if all fights go, it might take me this fight and another against one of the top guys to solidify my shot as the next contender, so we’ll see where it goes.
“I’m excited to put on a good performance and get back in the win column.”
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on May 2, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!