Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) believes the pressure lies with Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) ahead of UFC 315.
Maddalena will be competing for UFC gold for the first time in his pro MMA career this Saturday. He will share the Octagon with reigning welterweight champion Muhammad inside Rogers Centre in Montreal.
As one would expect, Maddalena has been fulfilling more media obligations than ever before, given this is his highest-profile fight to date.
As for everything else that comes with fight week, Maddalena told Athlon Sports that he hasn’t experienced a drastic change.
“Not much, to be honest,” Maddalena said. “It’s been quite business as usual. Obviously, there’s a little bit more hype. It’s a bigger fight. I can tell it is a bigger fight just from the reaction of people near me that are obviously very excited, but it’s much the same.
“I think I’ve got a bit more media stuff to do, which I guess is expected on a bigger fight, but that probably just comes with being in the main event. Just looking at it as another fight.”
More Pressure on the Champ?
Ahead of the fight, Muhammad is the favorite to successfully retain the UFC welterweight title. Maddalena feels that with some overlooking him, Muhammad might have to deal with some weight on his shoulders.
“I feel like more pressure on Belal for sure,” Maddalena said. “I think he’s the favorite, and obviously people think it’s going to be an easy fight for him. I think they look at him and think I can’t grapple him, and I’m going to get stuck on my back and he’s just going to stay on top. So, I think there’s a lot of pressure on him, a lot of hype for him to live up to.”
The challenger believes he knows what must be done to avoid Muhammad’s top control.
“Just stopping the takedown, having strong, aggressive hips,” Maddalena said. “I think some of my other fights have been too happy to go to the ground just because I’m comfortable on my back. I do a lot of jiu-jitsu, so comfortable there, but just not getting comfortable in any positions, not giving him an inch.”
Will Muhammad Test Striking?
Muhammad has promised to showcase his “Canelo hands” against Maddalena. The Perth native thinks the champion will lean into his striking until something goes wrong.
“Obviously, the fight’s got to stand on the feet, so I think he will dip the toes,” Maddalena said. “I believe if he feels comfortable on the feet, he’ll stay there. That’s how I feel, but I think as soon as he starts feeling uncomfortable, that’s when he’ll go back to what his bread and butter is, which is obviously his grappling.
“He’s good at mixing it up, but if I let him get comfortable in the first round, he’s got a lot to prove with all this Canelo hands talk. If he’s uncomfortable, I think you’ll see him shoot in for takedowns.”
Maddalena Not Sold on Muhammad at Middleweight
Over the past few months, Muhammad has teased eventually moving up to the middleweight division. Maddalena isn’t so sure that “Remember the Name” would find success at 185 pounds.
“After I get the finish, he might have a fight at middleweight,” Maddalena said. “He’s got a tough fight on his hands; I don’t want him to underestimate me and look past me, to be fair. I don’t think he’ll fare too well, and there’s a lot of challengers at welterweight. I can’t see a world where he’s a double champ.”
Breaking Down Another Pivotal Welterweight Clash
Ian Machado Garry earned a backup spot in case he is needed for the UFC 315 main event when he defeated Carlos Prates. Maddalena shared his assessment of the fight.
“It was a solid fight,” Maddalena said. “I think Prates is a dangerous guy. Ian has a good fight IQ. So, he comes in and stuck to a game plan. I think he had a game plan set for Prates. It worked well. Obviously, he tended on the wrestling and got tired a bit. Towards the end, slowed down a little bit. Wrestling hard is not his bread and butter, so got tired, but he won the fight. He did well.”
Who Could Be Next?
Maddalena was offered a welterweight title opportunity when Shavkat Rakhmonov couldn’t make the May 10 date due to an injury. While Maddalena isn’t certain that Rakhmonov will get the next crack, he feels it would be deserved.
“It’s hard to visualize how it works because the UFC pulls the shots at the end of the day,” Maddalena said. “Really, I think it doesn’t matter who deserves what. It’s just what they see fit.
“If Shavkat’s fit and healthy, I think that’s the next challenger, to be fair. It was the fight that Belal was meant to fight. He hasn’t fought for a long time, but I still believe he’s the No. 1 contender.”
First Perth Champion?
Maddalena has a chance to make history on Saturday. While Australia has a reigning UFC champion in Alexander Volkanovski, a fighter born in Perth has never held the world title. Maddalena hopes to etch his name in the history books.
“It would mean the world,” Maddalena said. “To bring that belt back to Australia would be an absolute pleasure. Having two there now would be amazing, and then even bringing the belt home to Perth, which is where I’m from. Perth hasn’t had a UFC champion yet. So, bringing the belt all the way back to Perth would be a pretty special feeling.”
Maddalena even has some friends and training partners who are closing in on starting their UFC journey.
“Heaps of people,” Maddalena said. “One of my good training partners, Jack Becker, is fighting ‘Road to UFC’ in the next season of ‘Road to UFC,’ so it’ll be really exciting to see him in the UFC at the end of the year.”
Winning UFC Gold in Style?
As he enters the biggest fight of his pro MMA career, Maddalena is hoping to not only capture UFC gold but to win some style points doing so.
“It would be pretty nice to top it off with a finish because then there’s no questions,” Maddalena said. “If it’s a close decision, then it leaves it to people’s perspectives, but a finish—that’s what I’m chasing.”
