Willetton-trained UFC fighter Jack Della Maddalena is headed to Las Vegas for a showdown with a UFC veteran on November 19.
With the official announcement the UFC is returning to Perth for a massive pay-per-view card in February 2023, the expectation was Maddalena’s next fight would be at RAC Arena.
Now he’ll be hoping to get through unscathed against British opponent Danny “Hot Chocolate” Roberts when the pair face of at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Spivak.
Roberts (18-6, 7-5 UFC) and Maddalena (12-2, 2-0 UFC) have something in common, both taking on tough Dagestani grappler Ramazan Emeev.
Roberts managed to eek out a split decision victory over Emeev, whereas Maddalena folded him like a lawn-chair with a brutal liver shot just halfway through the first round.
Maddalena will be looking to end the fight quickly, with any suspension due to injury potentially resulting in exclusion from the Perth card, UFC 284.
While the only confirmed fight on the card is former middleweight champion, Australia’s Robert Whittaker, taking on Brazilian powerhouse – and professional Khamzat Chimaev troller – Paulo Costa, it is widely anticipated that Aussie featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will move up a weight division to take on newly-crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a bid to become the first Australian to become a two-weight division champion in the UFC.
It is also strongly rumoured the UFC is targeting a title fight between bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and the returning former bantamweight and flyweight champion, Olympic gold medallist Henry Cejudo, who retired in 2020.
