Stepping into the octagon against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Jack Della Maddalena anticipated a challenging “war,” and the contest certainly delivered on that front.
The competitive encounter, marked by exchanges from start to finish, was later recognized with Fight of the Night honors. Muhammad, sticking to his pre-fight commitment, focused heavily on striking and largely avoided wrestling. While this approach might have contributed to him losing his title, Della Maddalena admitted he wasn`t entirely caught off guard by the strategy.
“Not really surprised by his game plan,” Della Maddalena stated during the UFC 315 post-fight press conference. “He was saying he wasn’t going to do takedowns but I was expecting I guess an all-around offense. I guess you can never expect anything. You’ve just got to roll with it. I feel that’s what I did.”
Although he conceded a couple of takedowns throughout the five rounds, Della Maddalena managed to avoid significant damage on the canvas and effectively scrambled back to his feet whenever necessary.
Curiously, Della Maddalena`s tactical goal was to maintain distance and avoid being trapped against the cage, where Muhammad is known to excel. Despite finding himself in that disadvantageous position several times, Della Maddalena capitalized by landing some of his sharpest punches whenever Muhammad closed the distance for close-quarters fighting.
Detailing his strategy, Della Maddalena explained, “The game plan was to stay off the fence. Like, he does his best work on the fence. So I was trying to stay off the fence but he was just walking down, pushing me up against the fence. I felt like every time he came in, I was able to hit him and then get off the fence.”
“I was expecting a tough fight,” he added. “Obviously, he’s a good fighter, a pressure fighter, good wrestling, he’s pretty well-rounded. I was expecting a tough fight.”
Entering the fifth and final round, with the potential for close scorecards, Della Maddalena aimed to take matters out of the judges` hands by seeking a finish.
He came agonizingly close, landing a powerful combination that visibly stunned the now-former champion. Muhammad, however, showcased remarkable toughness and absorbed Della Maddalena`s late onslaught as he pushed desperately for a stoppage.
“I was hoping to get him out of there,” Della Maddalena commented. “I’ve been thinking all week it would be cool to get that late fight finish like with Gilbert Burns. It felt good to rally through and then take him out at the end. But I tried.”
Upon the final horn, Della Maddalena admitted uncertainty regarding the decision, but his corner team quickly reassured him he had done enough to secure the victory. Their assessment proved correct, with the judges scoring the fight 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in his favor, officially crowning Jack Della Maddalena the new UFC champion.
“You never know but I was confident I had done pretty good work,” Della Maddalena reflected. “But I guess you never know when you leave it to the judges. When I finished the fight, I asked the corner a few times and they said, ‘Yep, you definitely won that.’”
