Jack Della Maddalena: Added Pressure of Fighting in Perth ‘Was Awesome’

Thus far during his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Jack Della Maddalena has shown a knack for putting opponents away in short order.

That continued at UFC 284, where ended Randy Brown’s four-fight winning streak with a submission victory 2:13 into Round 1. All four of the Perth native’s promotional triumphs have ended inside of a round.

I honestly think it’s just my style,” he said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “I’m trying to get finishes, I’m trying to damage my opponent from the get-go. I think I’ve got accurate punches. With the small gloves, if I land accurately, people go down and then I’ve got a good finishing ability I believe.”

While Della Maddalena briefly struggled with his opponent’s reach, he eventually closed the distance and dropped Brown with a perfectly-placed right hook behind the ear. From there, he unloaded with hammerfists until Brown gave up his back, providing the necessary opening to securing the fight-ending choke. While Della Maddalena has won 14 straight fights overall, it was just the second submission victory of his career.

“He had a good range. It was what I expected. He was very long. I just had to take my time.I landed a good shot and I saw him go down,” Della Maddalena said. “I knew that was my opportunity. I was hammerfisting. I was trying to land hard shots, and he was sort of squirming away. I think he turned to all fours. I just saw the neck and thought, ‘I’ve got to jump on that and take it.’ If someone gives me their neck, I’m gonna try and choke them unconscious.”

Della Maddalena was grateful for the opportunity to fight in his hometown, and the energy was evident as soon as he began his walk to the Octagon.

“It was just incredible. Just to see the crowd, whenever I looked at someone they were so excited,” he said. “Just to fight here and then give the audience someone from the hometown. I think it’s a cool gift to give them so they can see that anyone can do this. It felt like any normal fight, to be honest.”

While some athletes might have buckled under the added pressure of fighting in front of the home folks, Della Maddalena simply used it as fuel.

“There was [pressure], but I think all that added pressure makes the victory feel that much better,” he said. “I loved it. Every second of the added pressure was awesome.”

Della Maddalena has emerged as an interesting prospect in the welterweight division. He believes that his work has earned him a ranked opponent for his next Octagon appearance.

“Someone in that Top 15 would be awesome,” he said. “I loved my schedule last year. I fought January, June, November. It’s February now, so probably International Fight Week in Vegas could top this, I think.”