Source : ABC NEWS
Be it capturing a UFC world title or taking on the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the game, nothing seems to phase Jack Della Maddalena and that’s exactly why he’s got the MMA world in his hands.
After becoming Australia’s third UFC world champion with a victory over Belal Muhammad in Montreal on Sunday, Della Maddalena will defend his new welterweight crown against former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev later this year.
Makhachev, who officially vacated his lightweight belt on Wednesday after a record four title defences to move up a division, shapes as a tall order for Della Maddalena’s first defence.
But the Perth product has no doubt he can end the ten-year, 15 fight winning streak that has made the Russian one of the most acclaimed fighters in the UFC history.
Della Maddalena has the potential to be a breakout star for the UFC. (Getty Images/Zuffa LLC: Chris Unger)
“The Makhachev fight would be awesome. He’s number one pound-for-pound, if I can win the title and win the pound-for-pound ranking back to back that’d be pretty cool,” Della Maddalena said.
“I think that fight makes sense, he’s done enough to warrant a title shot when he decides he wants to step up.
“It depends what the UFC wants to do, but (ideally) I’d fight Makhachev at some point this year and fight Shavkat (Rakhmonov) soon after.
“I welcome all challengers. I think I can beat all of them.”
If it’s up to Della Maddalena, the fight with Makhachev will happen sooner rather than later.
The 28-year old only held the belt for two days but instead of basking in his victory, he wants to go again as quickly as possible and get started on building his own legacy as champion.
“I’ve been looking forward to getting this title for a long time,” Della Maddalena said.
“I’m excited for the reign and I already miss it, I want to be in there again because it’s a special feeling getting locked into the cage with someone else.”
Della Maddalena carried a similar mindset into the fight against Muhammad, where he outpointed the American to claim a pulsating unanimous decision victory.
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Muhammad had a mighty streak of his own – it had been six years since anyone could best his high-pressure, exhausting style but Della Maddalena’s fluid and furious striking game rose to the occasion on the biggest night of his career.
“It felt like any other fight, I tried not to make it too big so there wasn’t too much pressure on. A lot of my friends and family were telling me you can only fight for your first world title once but I wanted to rise to the occasion and get into that flow state,” Della Maddalena said.
“The second I started making the walk I felt switched on, I felt like it was my night, I felt like I couldn’t be stopped.
“My team and I worked hard to beat Belal Muhammad and I believed I had the tools to beat him, so I didn’t want to make it bigger than it was.
“It’s only a fight and I fight every single day of my life, so it was just another day.”
Della Maddalena has taken inspiration from Rob Whittaker and Alex Volkanovski, Australia’s two prior UFC champions, into his own title reign.
He admires Whittaker for proving it was possible for a world champion to come from this country and Volkanovski for his longevity and resilience and the latter’s two fights with Makhachev create an interesting dynamic for when Della Maddalena does eventually face him.
Should he win that, the possibilities are endless. Between the undefeated Rakhmonov, Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry and top American contender Sean Brady, there is no shortage of fresh, exciting title fights before him.
The win over Muhammad was a star-making one, with Della Maddalena’s action-packed style and laid back demeanour shining through and winning a score of new fans.
His status as a world champion is still new but Della Maddalena is getting used to it. He has long envisioned himself as the best in the world and is ready to shine under the brightest lights.
“It’s slowly sinking in, one day at a time, but it’s a dream come true so it’s still surreal,” Della Maddalena said.
“Every so often I go pick up the belt just to remind myself how heavy it is. It’s a special thing, being able to actually touch it.
“I always visualised this. I visualised how it would feel and it does feel like that.”
