Jack Della Maddalena hit a huge career milestone in his professional mixed martial arts debut. His win over welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 put him on the map. Earlier this month, Della Maddalena scored a closely contested win. She emerged victorious with a unanimous decision after a fierce five-round war. This victory now brings Della Maddalena’s professional undefeated streak to 18 while handing Muhammad his first loss in the past six years.
As the final round approached, Della Maddalena’s corner motivated him with the words, “Five more minutes to realise all your dreams.” With this encouragement, Della Maddalena demonstrated exceptional skill and determination, successfully staying on his feet against Muhammad’s relentless pressure and thwarting several takedown attempts.
A Battle of Striking and Defense
Della Maddalena proved he is one of the best strikers in the division with his elite boxing and every round. He dwarfed Muhammad at times, using just a battery of heavy hands that landed very well to the head and the body. His biggest moment came when he sliced Muhammad open with a perfectly timed knee strike, punctuating his domination of their bout.
Even though Muhammad successfully set up the takedown attempts he wanted to trigger, Della Maddalena stayed poised and countered those efforts with solid defense. Muhammad tried to hide his takedown efforts behind flurries of straights and jabs, but Della Maddalena showed good awareness with the counter.
“He brings the pressure… I knew I had to be sharp on my feet,” – Jack Della Maddalena
In the closing moments of the fight, Della Maddalena demonstrated his intent to finish the fight decisively. This positive forward-moving strategy paid off for him in the end, as he was clearly never going to waver in the fourth round.
A Historic Moment for Della Maddalena
This victory earned Jack Della Maddalena the UFC welterweight championship. Not only did he imprint his mark on the most prestigious ranks of MMA fighters, he advanced his legacy to the fullest. His past two performances may have changed the entire welterweight division’s landscape and vibe. He gave a shout out to his corner for being supportive throughout the fight.
“You are winning, he doesn’t have a clue what to do right now,” – Della Maddalena’s corner
Della Maddalena’s sights are set higher than this one win. “I want to take him revenge for Volk,” he said claiming that he wants to take revenge for all other fighters who lost in their career to this day.
Shevchenko Defends Her Title
In one of the other major bouts at UFC 315, Valentina Shevchenko retained her flyweight title against Manon Fiorot. Shevchenko controlled the fight for the majority of the match. In the fifth round, she threw a highlight-reel spinning backfist followed by a superwoman punch. Both had plenty of impact.
Fiorot suffered her first professional loss after having won her first 12 fights in a row. As tough as she was, Shevchenko’s vast experience and technical superiority was just too much and she won by unanimous decision.
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