Jack Della Maddalena had to disrupt his own fight camp in order to accept an offer that he couldn’t refuse.
With Shavkat Rakhmonov unable to fight at UFC 315, the UFC needed another contender to step up to the plate.
In the main event on May 10 at UFC 315 in Montreal, Belal Muhammad will face Della Maddalena in his first defense of the welterweight title.
‘JDM’ was previously set to headline a Fight Night card in London on March 22 which led to Leon Edwards receiving a new opponent in Sean Brady.
For the upcoming title challenger, that means completely rerouting his course to try and leave the Bell Centre with the 170-pound gold wrapped around his waist.
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Jack Della Maddalena isn’t worried about changing his focus to Belal Muhammad
During a recent appearance on Sky Sports New Zealand’s UFC show, Jack Della Maddalena spoke about his initial reaction to the fight and how it has changed his preparations.
Having produced four consecutive first-round finishes when arriving in the UFC in 2022, it’s certainly no secret that the Aussie’s best attribute is his boxing.
That would’ve made for a great striking clash against Leon Edwards at the O2 Arena in London with Della Maddalena preparing to face the calculated offense of the former champion.
Instead, he now faces a very different challenge in Belal Muhammad who despite showing clear improvements in his striking, is predominantly a wrestling-heavy competitor.
This doesn’t concern Della Maddalena who stated that facing grapplers like the champion is something that he’s confident about.
“Feeling good. Obviously different sort of opponent or different strategy involved but I’ve always prepared for fighting grapplers. Belal’s someone I’ve always believed I could beat so it’s just about taking on the opportunity and doing my job.”
Della Maddalena isn’t making the mistake of underestimating his next opponent, acknowledging that he’s the champion for a reason, but he does believe that he will be able to keep the fight in his preferred range.
“He’s definitely a hard man to beat but I feel like I can outclass him on the feet and then he will try to take me down but I believe I can get back to my feet and get back to where I have the strong advantage.”
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Keeping the fight where he wants it is far easier said than done for Jack Della Maddalena
It doesn’t take an expert analyst to identify that the key to Jack Della Maddalena winning this fight is keeping it standing where he can win the striking battle.
Through six consecutive UFC wins, he has a good takedown defense percentage of 70% according to UFC stats but that figure would’ve been significantly impacted in his last fight at UFC 299 where Gilbert Burns scored 7 takedowns in 11 attempts.
In comparison, Leon Edwards, who has faced elite wrestlers several times including his trilogy of bouts with Kamaru Usman, has a percentage of 65% across 18 UFC outings.
Edwards’ clear improvements in this area over time didn’t stop Belal Muhammad from taking him down 9 times in 13 attempts and whilst every fight is different, that is a worrying stat for team Della Maddalena.