Jack Della Maddalena is still carrying the lessons from his first UFC defeat. The Australian contender returns this Saturday in the main event of UFC Perth, where he faces Carlos Prates in a key welterweight clash.
It will be his first appearance since dropping the title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. The loss snapped a perfect UFC run and forced a reset for one of the division’s most active fighters.
Learning from a tough night
Della Maddalena admitted the defeat stuck with him in the days that followed.
“It’s part of the game,” Della Maddalena said at media day. “Wins and losses, that’s what this sport’s about.”
He did not brush it off immediately.
“Yeah, it haunted me for a few nights for sure, but I was always expected to fight some of the big challenges, obviously.”
Facing Islam Makhachev meant dealing with one of the most dominant grapplers in the sport. Over five rounds, Makhachev controlled the fight on the ground and limited Della Maddalena’s striking.
“Carlos was someone I definitely thought I was going to fight at some point,” he said. “It would be nice to be fighting him as the champion but that’s just not the way it turned out.”
After the fight, Della Maddalena took time to decompress in New York City.
“I just ate a lot of pizza in New York,” he said. “Sort of enjoyed New York City.”
The reset helped, but the loss still hit when he returned home.
“Yeah, just sort of ate my way through the city and then got home and yeah, it was a bit sad when I got home, but that’s the sport.”
“That’s what makes winning so good is the potential of losing.”
Adjustments ahead of Prates fight
In the months since, Della Maddalena and his team have reviewed the fight in detail. The focus has been on correcting mistakes and preparing for a different challenge in Carlos Prates.
“Obviously, some technical things didn’t go my way in the fight, so we went back, looked at those, looked at the reasons why we couldn’t get those things off and try and rebuild off those, but yeah, different stylistic matchup [against Prates] for sure.”
He also pointed to specific areas for improvement.
“In the fight itself, I guess more footwork. Probably just be more calm. I think I was just too emotional going into it, but they’re the things you sort of take away, come back better.”
A win keeps him in the mix in a crowded division that includes names like Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales, and Kamaru Usman. Even with a strong performance, Della Maddalena is not expecting an immediate title shot.
“I think there’s a lot of contenders, a lot of fights that need to be had, so we’ll see what happens.”
“But it would definitely keep me in the top picture and I got the title shot originally from just being active and just ready to sort of jump in at a moment’s notice, so I guess it would just keep me in that position if anything does fall through I’ll be able to jump in.”
“But yeah, I would expect probably two more fights and then have another shot.”
Watch the whole media day here
Will Maddalena win in his next matchup against Carlos Prates? Check our predictions.