Jack Della Maddalena Takes Time to Improve After Two Straight UFC Losses
Jack Della Maddalena has been in a couple of rough fights and had a difficult year inside the Octagon
Maddalena lost his welterweight belt to Islam Makhachev and was beaten by Carlos Prates in front of his home crowd in Perth. For a fighter who had spent years chasing his way to the top, those results would have been hard to take. Meanwhile Della Maddalena is not keen on a return to the Octagon. He is using the time to work on his game instead of preparing for one opponent.
“Most of my career the last few years has been like back to back camps, so it’s nice to have some time to develop the skills. It’s kind of hard to develop new skills when you’re just doing training camps, because you’re sort of just focused on one person, what game plan for them. It’s been nice just to sit back, try and improve the skills, add more tools, improve as a martial artist.”
Jack Della Maddalena's Second Straight Defeat
Jack Della Maddalena was defeated for the first time at UFC 322 in November of 2025. Makhachev’s wrestling was too much for welterweight champ Della Maddalena. The Russian dominated the bout, winning by unanimous decision and taking home the belt.
He couldn’t wait to get back to Perth. Carlos Prates sent him out to lose again. The Brazilian was able to hurt him with his strikes and finish the fight in the third round by TKO.
It's never easy to lose two, especially when you're at the top of a division. But Della Maddalena appears to be aware that he has some things to do before he can come back.
Jack Della Maddalena's Reasons for Missing Training Camp
There’s a reason Della Maddalena is enjoying this holiday. Normally in a training camp, competitors focus on the next opponent. Fighters train to a certain strategy and style. They get ready for fight night for weeks. This doesn't always leave much room to learn something new .
Jack Della Maddalena can spend all his time perfecting facets of his game because there’s no opponent in front of him. He can work on his striking, learn new tactics, add more choices without regard to whether it fits into a certain matchup.
It’s an opportunity for him to work on his skills, instead of preparing for the next fight.
There's a Lot of Work for Jack Della Maddalena to Do
Two losses don’t take away from Della Maddalena being a former UFC champion. Belal Muhammad was defeated by him in May 2025, showing he can hang with the best in the division. But the last two fights have also highlighted areas of his game that he has to improve on. A break from competition before he returns to the Octagon could help him work through those issues.
He has not said when he plans to return. There’s no fight on the horizon, so he’s happy to focus on training for now. When he comes back we’ll see if the supporters missed him at all.
