JACK DELLA MADELENA
WORLD CHAMPION – JDM
UFC 315 : Western Australian sporting history !
PERTH’S LOCAL HERO
World Class Ultimate Fighter Jack Della Maddalena has created Western Australian sporting history, becoming the state’s first UFC champion.
Della Maddalena (18-2) has marked himself as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, claiming the welterweight title in a five-round war against Belal Muhammad (24-2) at UFC 315 in Montreal.
The 28-year-old Perth fighter won in unanimous decision, with all three judges declaring him the victory and crowing him the first ever UFC champion from WA.
Della Maddalena executed his fight ensuring he didn’t get taken down by the wrestler until the fourth round. Jack jabbed away on Muhammad getting big shots in that did some damage. Jack ate his fair share of punches because UFC is brutal. Jack join Sydney’s Alexander Volkanovski as an Australian UFC champion.
“I was expecting an all round offence (from Muhammad). You can never expect anything, you’ve just got to roll with it which is exactly what I did,” Della Maddalena said.
“The gameplan was to stay off the fence, I feel like he does his best work on the fence. He was just walking down, pushing me up against the fence but I felt like every time he came in I was able to hit him and then get off the fence.
“I was hoping to get him out of there. I’ve been thinking all week it’d be cool to get that late fight finish, like against Gilbert Burns. It felt good to rally through and then take him out at the end.”
Jack’s time in the UFC has been short but the whole journey hasn’t been.
When I walked into Scrappy MMA gym in Willetton – where he trains – a few years back, I wasn’t sure what to expect. You can enter some fighting gyms and find the whole scene pretty intimating.
One of Western Australia’s toughest athletes is back in the spotlight on Sunday when Jack Della Maddalena attempts to become a UFC champion.
Della Maddalena will fight for the welterweight title when he takes on current champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in Montreal.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing ‘Della’ over the years, watching him train, and witnessing the progress he’s made throughout his career.
He is one determined individual who works very hard. Even before making it into the UFC, fighting as an amateur, he trained like a professional and did the extra one percenters.
Not much fazes him. The 28-year-old is a relaxed guy who enjoys whatever challenge is in front of him by being in the moment. This is his biggest moment so far, and nothing changes.
Jack’s time in the UFC has been short but the whole journey hasn’t been.
When I walked into Scrappy MMA gym in Willetton – where he trains – a few years back, I wasn’t sure what to expect. You can enter some fighting gyms and find the whole scene pretty intimating.
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I must admit, I saw mixed martial arts as an untechnical sport at the time and probably expected to find big aggressive beasts with a couple of screws loose.
Instead, I never once felt threatened and was blown away by the calmness, composure and professionalism of Perth’s dedicated MMA fighters.
Della Maddalena has climbed a mountain just to get this opportunity, enduring four operations after breaking his left forearm in a TKO win over Gilbert Burns in March last year.
Jack Della Maddena
UFC 315 – HISTORY WA MADE
