Jack Della Maddalena: Can he bounce back from Makhachev by taking out Prates?

Jack Della Maddalena is the kind of guy who could walk into a phone booth with a grizzly bear and walk out wearing a fur coat without a single hair out of place. He carries such an eerie sense of calm that he looks like he’s waiting for the bus, even while he’s getting peppered by Gilbert Burns. But don't let the laid-back Aussie vibe fool you: beneath that exterior lies the most surgical boxer in the organization, a guy capable of turning your liver into mush with a two-punch combo.

🥊 Fighter Profile

Name: Jack Della Maddalena
Record: 18-3-0
Signature Move: A liver hook that makes you want to revisit your last meal immediately.

The High-Five Tracker

Last 5 results:

• ❌ Islam Makhachev - Decision (Unanimous) - Round 5 (UFC 318)
• ✅ Gilbert Burns - KO (Knee and punches) - Round 3 (UFC 299)
• ✅ Kevin Holland - Decision (Split) - Round 3 (UFC Noche)
• ✅ Bassil Hafez - Decision (Split) - Round 3 (UFC Vegas 77)
• ✅ Randy Brown - Submission (RNC) - Round 1 (UFC 284)

The Origin Story

Before he was a nightmare for Welterweights, Jack was just a kid from Perth who loved a good collision. His first love? Rugby Union. Let’s just say the concept of "personal space" isn't really his thing. At 14, he followed his older brother Josh to the gym to "get in shape" for rugby, and he fell headfirst into the MMA rabbit hole. Spoiler alert: he never looked back.

That rugby background explains his low center of gravity and his ability to eat heavy shots without blinking. But where he really shocked the world was by developing a level of boxing rarely seen inside the cage. No wild haymakers, no fluff. Jack is all about efficiency: he switches stances with the fluidity of a ballet dancer who traded his slippers for 4-ounce gloves. He tore through the Australian circuit, cleaned up at Eternal MMA, and arrived in the UFC with one mission: to prove that boxing is still the king of combat sports when wielded by a genius.

The Science of Surgical Striking

His rise in the UFC has been a speedrun. He isn't here to take selfies with Dana White; he's here to turn the lights out. His masterclass against Gilbert Burns remains the turning point: down on the scorecards and likely fighting with a busted arm, he pulls a knee out of thin air followed by ground and pound that made "Durinho" look like an amateur. That’s the JDM magic: he can be in the trenches for 14 minutes and put you to sleep at the 14:59 mark.

His real strength is his volume. We’re talking about a guy who lands 7.20 significant strikes per minute. For context, the UFC average is around 3.5. Jack is an automatic weapon with the accuracy of a sniper (53% accuracy). He doesn't necessarily hunt for the highlight-reel one-shot; he wears you down, suffocates you, and the moment your guard drops an inch from exhaustion, it’s lights out. Only Islam Makhachev has managed to pump the brakes on this machine in an epic 5-round war, proving that Della Maddalena belongs at the big table.

Useless Trivia

• His maternal grandfather is Italian, which explains why his surname sounds more like a Michelin-star chef than a hitman.
• He has a brother, Josh, who is also a pro fighter. Their sibling rivalry forged his granite chin: apparently, backyard sparring sessions were more violent than some actual Main Events.
• Unlike many fighters who scream their hatred into the mic, Jack is known for being one of the calmest, most polite guys on the roster. A total gentleman—until he shuts your left eye for you.

The MMX Take

So, what about this clash with Carlos Prates? It’s the ultimate "trap" fight. Prates is the new Muay Thai sniper who’s been putting everyone to sleep with scary ease. It’s a duel of snipers. The stat that will decide it? Distance management. Prates loves to kick and use his reach. Jack needs to close the gap to land those devastating liver hooks.

JDM’s biggest edge is his cardio and his experience in deep waters. If this goes past the second round, Prates is going to start feeling the weight of the Aussie’s 7 strikes per minute. Jack has an 82% takedown defense, meaning he can keep this standing where he’s most dangerous. For your rankings on The League, Jack is a safe bet if you're playing the long game. We see a methodical breakdown: Jack absorbs the early heat, drains the Brazilian’s gas tank to the body, and eventually breaks him down technically in the championship rounds.

Jack Della Maddalena is the future of the division, a boxing purist proving that calm is the ultimate form of violence. Do you think he’ll win his next fight? Come make your picks and challenge your buddies on MMX.

📋 On the same card: Check out all the profiles for UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates