Las Vegas, NV – Rollercoaster isn’t an accurate enough term to describe UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena’s last three weeks, but at least he finally has a fight at UFC Vegas 77 against Bassil Hafez on Saturday night.
“Yeah just a lot of ups and downs. This is our third week. Obviously got the news that Sean Brady was out, so pretty devastating, but then we got an opponent. Then obviously unfortunate what happened, but I think it was a positive,” Maddalena told reporters on Wednesday.
“We got a fight. So we got what we came for is the good thing.”
Maddalena (14-2) was supposed to face Sean Brady at UFC 290, but pulled out due to injury. Josiah Harrell stepped in to face Maddalena on short notice, but a pre-fight MRI revealed brain disease that Harrell was unaware of. He was pulled from the fight and was set to have a brain procedure.
That left Maddalena without an opponent, and without a fight, but he stuck around and finally got Hafez at the UFC APEX.
“Crazy! Really glad that fight never took place. God forbid something bad happened (to Harrell). The medicals helped out and hopefully he lives to fight another day,” he said.
When Maddalena was there without an opponent plenty of fighters threw their names in the ring, the social media ring, but never actually accepted the fight on short notice. One was Joaquin Buckley.
“It was annoying. The fight was out and then he came over, I thought he came over and said ‘oh the UFC called me’ I though he saying let’s do it, he didn’t want it. I offered to do it at 185, he wasn’t into it, I think he wants the extra training camp,” Maddalena said.
“Hope we do it one day maybe.”
In Las Vegas Maddalena gets Hafez who will make his UFC debut at 8-3.
“Beggars can’t be choosers and I just took what I could. I think he’s an aggressive guy. You’ve got to expect someone like that that’s got a big opportunity on their hands you’ve got to come expecting him to come at me,” he said.
“I’m just in for a fight and that’s what we got.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Jack Della Maddalena above. He takes on Bassil Hafez at UFC Vegas 77 on Saturday night.
