Jack Della Maddalena Has Mike Malott on His Radar After Brutal Losing Skid
Jack Della Maddalena says he is open to a fight against the rising Canadian contender Mike Malott as he prepares for his comeback.
"JDM” was recently interviewed by Bedtime MMA at his home in Perth, where he spoke about his future after back-to-back losses. The former champion lost the title to Islam Makhachev in his first defense last November, after being dominantly outwrestled. He then suffered a third-round TKO loss to Carlos Prates in front of his home crowd at UFC Perth in May.
Jack Della Maddalena Would Like to Fight Mike Malott
Now, the 30-year-old Australian has made it known that he would welcome a fight with No. 10-ranked Malott, who knocked out Joaquin Buckley in his last outing at UFC Edmonton on Oct. 17. He said:
“Yeah, for sure. For sure. All right, we’ll see. Yeah, I’d be into that.”
However, Della Maddalena is in no rush. After several years of back-to-back camps, he is now taking time off to add new weapons to his game. He said:
“Most of my career, the last few years, has pretty much just been like back-to-back camps. So, it’s nice just to have some time just to sort of develop the skills. It’s kind of hard to develop new skills when you’re just doing training camps, cuz you sort of just focus on one person.”
Jack Della Maddalena also revealed that he plans to return to the octagon by April or May of next year and is open to fighting any opponent that the UFC offers.
“I’ve sort of always just gone whoever the UFC offered me first, I would just jump on that. So, we’ll just see what happens.”
For "JDM," climbing back from back-to-back losses is familiar territory. He started his pro career 0-2 before going on to win 18 straight fights, and he believes his best days are still ahead of him. He said:
“I’m excited for the future. I definitely feel like my best performances are still in front of me for sure."
Mike Malott Eyes Home-Soil Fight Against a Top-10 Welterweight
Mike Malott, 34, is coming off the biggest win of his career. He knocked out Buckley with a knee in the second round of the UFC Edmotion main event, picking up his fifth straight win and moving his UFC record to 8-1.
Speaking after the fight at the post-fight press conference, "Proper" said that he wants a top-10 opponent next and is ready whenever the UFC calls. He told reporters:
“Any of these (top-10) guys get me excited. I got my phone right here, so I’m waiting for the call.”
The Canadian is also hoping to fight in front of his home crowd when the UFC returns to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for UFC 336 on Jan. 30. He added:
“I’m ready to defend Canada in the Octagon, so when they come back in January, expect me to be there.”
However, that timeline doesn’t line up with Della Maddalena’s plans, as the latter won’t be ready until well into next year. With “Proper” aiming for January and “JDM” targeting April or May, will the UFC wait to book the two welterweights against each other, or will they pursue separate paths?
