UFC 275 Fighter to Watch: Jack Della Maddalena
Streaking Australian takes a considerable step up in competition in his sophomore appearance on Saturday in Singapore
Name: Jack Della Maddalena
Nickname: N/A
Record: 11-2 overall; 1-0 UFC
Division: Welterweight
Team: Scrappy MMA & Fitness
Opponent: Ramazan Emeev (20-5 overall, 5-2 UFC)
The Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ‘21 was a disjointed one — a hodgepodge of genuine prospects, experienced veterans, and fighters with limited experience that would enter the Octagon as question marks this year, at least for me.
One competitor that fell in that initial category and was clearly someone to watch going forward was Della Maddalena, who out-worked Ange Loosa to secure a unanimous decision win, a UFC contract, and high praise from the man whose name graces the annual talent search competition. There was something about how clean the Australian worked on the feet that immediately jumped off the screen, and while Loosa hung around for the full 15 minutes, the final verdict was never in doubt.
After securing his contract, Della, as correspondents from Australia and New Zealand have often referred to him and known him, was paired off with former TUF: Brazil winner Warlley Alves for his promotional debut, which should have been a signal to everyone that the UFC brass thought highly of the 25-year-old on a 10-fight winning streak. Though Alves never became the championship contender Chael Sonnen forecasted him to become following his time on the reality TV competition, the 31-year-old has still amassed an 8-5 record in the UFC and shown flashes of that top-end upside as recently as his January 2021 win over Mounir Lazzez.
But the fight with Alves never came to pass, as the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the UFC 270 matchup at the start of January, leaving the newcomer to ultimately share the cage with short-notice debutant Pete Rodriguez. The fight went precisely how you would expect a pairing between a highly regarded prospect and a last-minute replacement with just four professional appearances to his name would go.
Della Maddalena quickly found his range and his timing and started busting up Rodriguez, earning the finish three minutes less a tick into the opening stanza.
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Wins like that are always a little difficult to rate because you don’t want to put too much stock into a dominant effort against a clearly overmatched opponent.
That being said, Della Maddalena did exactly what I want to see a fighter in his position do in under those circumstances, marching into the Octagon and making it clear, quickly and efficiently, that Rodriguez wasn’t on his level and he deserved to skip the “wade out into deeper waters” part of being introduced to the UFC welterweight division. We’ve seen plenty of fighters walk into similar situations and either play it safe or have a more difficult time than expected, focusing on avoiding getting upset or under-estimating their opponent to the point that the fight becomes oddly surprisingly competitive, but not Della — he marched into the cage and took it to Rodriguez straight away; finishing him quickly so there was no room to question his superiority or diminish his effort.
Saturday in Singapore, he gets a second chance at that tough early assignment, paired off with Ramazan Emeev in what he called the “Dagestani Wrestler Test” in the above feature interview with James Cooney.
Emeev is similar to Alves in that he has a solid record both overall and in the UFC, but has never quite taken the full step forward in terms of becoming a contender. There have been moments where it seemed inevitable and performances where it appeared to be on the horizon, but it never quite materialized due to extended time off between appearances and stumbling in his biggest opportunities.
Still, jumping from a newcomer in his fifth pro bout to someone with five-times the experience and a potentially challenging style is a considerable step up for a sophomore outing in the UFC, though Della Maddalena profiles to me as someone that should be able to navigate the assignment with aplomb.
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What stood out for me in Della Maddalena’s DWCS win was how clean and varied he is on the feet — he moves well, commits to throwing to all levels, and understands that he’s going to have to take a smack here and there in order to connect with something of his own, accepting that trade-off happily.
While he has earned a number of stoppages due to strikes, he’s not out here firing off big, power shots; it’s more of a “death by as many cuts as it takes” approach where he’s constantly landing, constantly touching, constantly chipping away. If an opportunity present to land something a little sharper, he’ll take it and make hay with it, but he’s not one to force things. That activity and his accuracy on the feet afford him a level of comfort in exchanges and in rounds that means he doesn’t need to press, as he’s always throwing and always connecting.
Additionally, he’s comfortable shifting stances and approaches, and doesn’t lose effectiveness when doing so.
Against Loosa, he worked from both southpaw and orthodox stances, having success from each, and alternated between leading the dance and allowing Loosa to be the aggressor, countering well in those moments. He took a few good shots, but showed he’s capable to doing that as well, which is another not insignificant piece of what makes Della Maddalena such an intriguing new addition to the welterweight ranks.
Saturday’s main card meeting with Emeev is another chance to put his considerable talents on display and potentially garner the kind of victory that removals all doubt about his standing as someone to watching in the 170-pound weight class going forward. It’s a tough assignment, but very much a winnable fight, and one that comes with a little added attention as the kick-off to this weekend’s pay-per-view.
Should he sail through his sophomore appearance with the same kind of smoothness and ease he’s shown through his contract-winning effort and debut victory, don’t be surprised if Della gets an accelerated push and a chance to really test himself against an established name in the second half of the year.
I hope he keeps winning because his style is so pretty