Welterweight Jack Della Maddalena will enter the UFC octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Perth, his first fight back after losing his 170lb title to Islam Makhachev last November.
That was a rather one-sided fight, with Maddalena (18-3) spending a whole lot of time on his back, and on the canvas in general, though he did go the distance.
Australia’s JDM admits that he wasn’t able to “implement those techniques to get back to the feet” against the grappling-heavy Makhachev. “The mindset wasn’t perfect in the fight, and I guess that’s what it’s about. I’ve always said anyone can win on any given night. Came up against one of the best and couldn’t get my game plan going.”
While Maddalena admitted that it “wasn’t the best performance” against Makhachev, he’s gone back, looked at what went wrong, and tried to fix what he could. That said, Carlos Prates represents “a different stylistic matchup this time. So looking forward to the performance.”
Prates has predicted a knockout victory for himself in the fight. Maddalena recognized his past success in that area. “I’m going to try my best not to let that happen.”
During Thursday’s UFC Perth pre-fight press conference, Maddalena expanded on what can be seen as his comeback fight.
“I can’t wait. It’s business as usual, but obviously extra pressure [fighting at home in Australia],” exclaimed Maddalena. “But pressure makes good performances – and that’s what’s coming.”
At media day, meanwhile, Maddalena touched on another welterweight contender, Ian Machado Garry, who was critical of his last performance. That’s a pairing the ex-champ would like.
“Yeah it would be a good match. I definitely think we’ll cross paths at some point. Yeah, we’ll see how he does against Makhachev when he gets the shot.”
Watch the full UFC Perth media day appearance by Jack Della Maddalena above.
