Perth based UFC fighters
Perth fighters Jack Della Maddalena and Steve Erceg will be aiming to be on the card after impressive, undefeated starts to their UFC careers. Erceg (12-1) has won the title now defending the flyweight title, with the West Australian to take on champion Alexandre Pantoja (27-5) May 5th 2024 in Brazil. Unfortunately our local heroes did not win but the boys have promise as a prize fighters in UFC big time.
See UFC.com for more details.
Jack Della Maddalena and Steve Erceg will be headline acts when the UFC returns to Perth on August 18 when RAC Arena will host UFC 305. This marks the third time Perth will host a UFC event, following on from 2018 and 2023.
JACK – UFC.com
Giacomo “Jack” Della Maddalena (born 10 September 1996) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) he is #5 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Della Maddalena was born in Perth, Australia into a family of Italian descent through his Sardinia-born grandfather.He started playing rugby at the age of eight, playing the sport from year six to year twelve of his schooling. Due to the influence of his older brother Josh, Maddalena joined a boxing gym at the age of fourteen, using it to improve his fitness for the rugby season. He fell in love with the sport, and after his rugby career ended, he transitioned into full-time MMA training.
He made his professional debut on 12 March 2016 against Aldin Bates, losing the contest via TKO in the 3rd round. He went on to lose his next fight against Darcy Vendy via submission in the first round, before accumulating a nine-fight winning streak whilst securing the Eternal Welterweight Championship and defending it four times.
Della Maddalena was invited to face Ange Loosa on 14 September 2021 at Dana White’s Contender Series 39, where he won the bout via unanimous decision and secured a UFC contract.
Proudly Australian Jack
WORLD CLASS
Della Maddalena was scheduled to make his UFC debut against The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 middleweight winner Warlley Alves on 22 January 2022 at UFC 270. However, Alves pulled out in early January due to undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Pete Rodriguez. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.
Della Maddalena faced Ramazan Emeev on 11 June 2022 at UFC 275. He won the fight via TKO in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Della Maddalena faced Danny Roberts on 19 November 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[20] With this win, Della Maddalena earned his second straight Performance of the Night bonus.
Della Maddalena faced Randy Brown on 12 February 2023 at UFC 284. He won the bout via first round submission.The win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Della Maddalena was scheduled to face Sean Brady on 8 July 2023 at UFC 290.However, on 30 June, Brady withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.He was replaced by promotional newcomer Josiah Harrell.The day before the event on 7 July, Harrell was pulled from the fight due to being diagnosed with Moyamoya disease during his pre-fight medical screening and the bout was scrapped.
Della Maddalena faced promotional newcomer Bassil Hafez on 15 July 2023 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva. He won the bout via split decision. Both fighters earned the Fight of the Night bonus.
Della Maddalena faced Kevin Holland on 16 September 2023 at UFC Fight Night 227. He won the bout by split decision. 16 out of 16 media scorecards scored it for Della Maddalena.
Della Maddalena faced Gilbert Burns on 9 March 2024 at UFC 299.He won the fight by technical knockout in the third round.This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
See UFC.com to follow Della Maddalena continued rise in the UFC kingdom.
Erceg Awesomeness
ASTRO BOY ERCEG
Steve “Astroboy” Erceg is an Australian professional mixed martial artist in the UFC flyweight division.
Stephen Vincenzo Erceg (born July 27, 1995) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 5, 2024, he is #10 in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Erceg was born in Perth, Western Australia[4] into a family of Croatian and Italian descent. He attended Corpus Christi College throughout his upbringing and has stated he was a “big WWE fan” in his younger years. His interest in professional wrestling led to discovering mixed martial arts when he watched Brock Lesnar compete against Frank Mir at UFC 81 and subsequently decided to begin MMA training at his local gym.
Erceg in UFC action
WORLD CHAMPION
Starting his career in 2016, Erceg fought in Australian promotions such as Hex Fighting Series and Eternal MMA, winning the flyweight title in the latter and compiling an 9–1 record before signing with the UFC.
Erceg was scheduled to face Clayton Carpenter at the sixth season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill in May 2023, but Erceg pulled out both times due to visa issues.The bout had been rebooked for UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov on July 1, 2023, but it was scrapped after Carpenter pulled out due to an undisclosed injury.
Making his UFC debut, Erceg faced David Dvořák on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289, replacing Matt Schnell. In an upset, he won the bout via unanimous decision.The win also earned Erceg his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Erceg was scheduled to face Matt Schnell on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. Schnell withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Alessandro Costa.Erceg won the bout by unanimous decision.
The bout with Matt Schnell was rescheduled on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. Erceg won the bout in the second round by a left-hook knockout.This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Erceg face to fist with Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on May 4, 2024, at UFC 301. Defeated but going back for more soon… watch this space.
See UFC.com for more details.
PERTH IS PROUD OF BOTH ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONS
PERTH BOYS PACK A PUNCH
