Jack Della Maddalena’s nose twists across his face like a country road through the woods, flat, curvy, and unmistakable. It’s not something you’d expect from your average CPA or the guy in the cubicle next to you.
The black eye and the cauliflower ears are the unmistakable signs of a fighter.
And now, after 25 fierce minutes in the Octagon with Belal Muhammad, it’s also the face of a champion.
Della Maddalena won a unanimous decision over Muhammad Saturday in Montreal in the main event of UFC 315 to lift the welterweight title. Muhammad’s nickname is “Remember the Name,” but they’ll have a hard time forgetting Della Maddalena’s name after this.
He entered the fight with a reputation as the sport’s best boxer, riding a 17-fight winning streak, but it was his takedown defense that lifted him from the rankings into the history books.
The result of this Fight of the Night battle raised the profile of both fighters. Judges had it 48-47 twice and 49-46 for Della Maddalena, who limited Muhammad to just three takedowns in the fight and only nine attempts.
Muhammad entered the bout on a six-fight winning streak and an 11-fight unbeaten run, marred only by a 2021 no-contest due to an eye poke.
It says much about Della Maddalena that Muhammad turned in the best performance of his career and yet still lost.
It was 2:30 in the morning in Montreal when Della Maddalena arrived at the post-fight news conference, 12 hours behind his hometown of Perth, Australia.
His countenance and lack of visible exuberance over what he’d done suggested either the enormity of his accomplishment hadn’t yet dawned on him or that his most fervent wish in that moment was to find a comfortable bed.
He made an inauspicious MMA debut in 2016, starting 0-2. He was TKO’d by Aldin Bates in his debut, and submitted to Darcy Vendy’s rear naked choke on May 28, 2016.
Had he lost that next bout—against Brandt Cogill on Oct. 15, 2016, in Gold Coast, Australia—the world may have never heard of him.
“Had I lost that one, yeah, who knows, that may have been it for me,” Della Maddalena said before the fight.
He won and quickly built a reputation as a superbly well-rounded fighter. He’s got great hands, which is why he’s racked up 12 knockouts among his 18 wins, and he’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
He needed every one of those skills against a determined and on-point Muhammad. Della Maddalena had a 178-132 edge in significant strikes landed, and connected at a crisp 52-percent clip. Muhammad hit on 41 percent of his strikes.
Given that Muhammad didn’t make much of an effort to grapple in the opening three rounds — Muhammad was 0-for-4 in takedowns over the first 15 minutes — the striking was the difference.
Muhammad landed his share of clean, powerful strikes, evident from the shiner Della Maddalena brought with him to the post-fight presser.
But Della Maddalena had the majority of damaging blows and had Muhammad reeling to a degree in the waning moments.
“I was hoping to get him out of there,” Della Maddalena said. “I had been thinking all week it’d be cool to get that, like [I did in] the Gilbert Burns fight [last year]. It felt good to rally through and take [Burns] out at the end.”
He’s got an even bigger prize ahead. He entered Saturday’s bout ranked fifth in the division, and faced the No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. With UFC CEO Dana White already signaling that Islam Makhachev could be next, Della Maddalena now faces the opportunity of a lifetime: defeat the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and cement himself as the biggest name in the sport.
You are not Volk I will show you different level. Keep my belt clean https://t.co/gTplxCAXMY
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) May 11, 2025
Makhachev was all over social media, calling out Della Maddalena. He’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
It’s a fabulous opportunity for Della Maddalena, because if he wins, he’ll have beaten opponents ranked No. 7 and No. 1 pound-for-pound in back-to-back outings.
Saturday’s win will be life-changing for him, but if he were to beat Makhachev, too, he’d be the biggest name in the sport.
It’s all just one fight away.
“That’s pretty good, a good, good run, you know?” Della Maddalena said. “But it’s just the beginning.”
From that 0-2 start to Saturday’s monumental win, Della Maddalena has come a long way. But for Della Maddalena, this is just the beginning.
If he can overcome Makhachev, the title of UFC’s biggest star may soon have a new face. And, as always, he’ll be ready to make the next journey from contender to legend.
Eric Bolte/Imagn Images
Jack Della Maddalena dodges a left hand Saturday from Belal Muhammad in their UFC welterweight title bout in Montreal.