Now ranked #5 in the Welterweight division, the Perth local, Jack Della Maddalena has his eyes set on the Welterweight belt and has called out the Kazakhi Welterweight menace, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
After a staggering KO victory at UFC 299, Jack Della Maddalena’s manager, Tim Simpson, revealed that Jack broke his arm sometime in the early rounds and had to push through to secure his round 3 win.
Jack Della Maddalena’s manager provides injury update
Reported first via Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie’s reporter, Tim Simpson shared an X-ray of Jack Della Maddalena’s arm that revealed Jack’s broken bone in his left forearm.
Captioned “arm snapped clean early in the fight”, it is unclear as to exactly which round Jack suffered the forearm damage, but it could be attributed to Gilbert Burn’s nasty takedowns and Jack’s arm being dragged across the canvas, or Burn’s strikes that landed mostly on Jack’s forearms.
Jack Della Maddalena broke his arm before knocking out Gilbert Burns at #UFC299, per his manager Tim Simpson.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) March 13, 2024
Hell of a way to overcome adversity in the biggest fight of his life. pic.twitter.com/cYgpfq8DqD
For Jack Della Maddalena, this was a turnaround victory as it was agreed upon that the judges gave round 2 to Burns because of his control time and elbow strikes.
Aussie Aussie Aussie🇦🇺
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) March 10, 2024
Jack Della Maddalena returns home STILL undefeated in the UFC! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/X0YJxRfXfX
Jack Della Maddalena still remains undefeated in the UFC and has now laid his eyes on his next opponent.
Jack Della Maddalena wants Shavkat Rakhmonov bout next
In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Jack Della Maddalena called out Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“Shavkat, I think me and you could make a hell of a title eliminator. (He is) One of the best in the business,” said Jack, calling for a title eliminator, implying the winner of the two should get a title shot against Leon “Rocky” Edwards.
Fans have been very vocal to want to see Jack Della Maddalena and Shavkat Rakhmonov go head-to-head as both the Welterweights are on the come up.
Although, it has to be expected that the UFC would probably put up both Jack and Shavkat against Welterweight veterans first like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington before making the super-fight between the two.
Jack Della Maddalena, Ian Garry & Shavkat Rakhmonov are the only 3 ranked Welterweights in their 20s.
— Andy Hickey MMA (@AndyHickeyMMA) March 11, 2024
They're a combined 20-0 in The UFC.
They should NOT be matched against each other at this point IMO.
Time for Colby Covington & Kamaru Usman to defend their rankings.
Shavkat Rakhmonov also shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) about the Jack Della Maddalena callout, saying Jack Della Maddalena will suffer the same wrath as all his opponents.
I respect your courage and confidence Jack, but you will face the same fate as my previous opponents
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) March 10, 2024
Although both Jack Della Maddalena and Shavkat Rakhmonov share the undefeated status in the UFC, Shavkat Rakhmonov has never lost in his pro career, even prior to being in the UFC.
With Jack Della Maddalena on rank #5 in the Welterweight division, the progression of the Welterweight rankings seems to be in a vague space. Ranked #2, Belal Muhammad’s title shot has been long due. Currently ranked #1, Kamaru Usman has already fought the champion, Leon Edwards twice.
Would the Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Jack Della Maddalena fight come to fruition anytime soon? Let us know your thoughts.