Jack Della Maddalena Expects Detractors to ‘Keep Talking S—t’ Despite Latest Win

Jack Della Maddalena couldn’t resist engaging in a little back-and-forth with the notoriously chatty Kevin Holland in the Noche UFC co-main event.

“I didn’t want to get involved, but it’s hard not to,” Maddalena said at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve never fought someone that does that sort of thing before, so it’s interesting.”

That friendly banter didn’t aversely affect the result in the Octagon for Maddalena, who emerged with a split-decision triumph over Holland in their welterweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Of course, there was that little bit of doubt that crept in when the Aussie heard that at least one scorecard was in favor of his opponent.

“I thought I was winning,” Maddalena said. “I feel like I was pushing the pace, landing the heavier shots. As soon as I heard the split decision, you never know. You never know with the judges.”

While Holland outlanded Maddalena by a 127-to-105 count in significant strikes per UFCStats.com, the Aussie appeared to land the more impactful offense over the course of the fight. Holland’s length and unorthodox striking ability made for an interesting challenge.

“He’s hard to read and I didn’t know what to expect going in there, so I just wanted to be defensively sound in landing shots,” Maddalena said. “I wanted to try to take him out into the last round, but yeah, he was hard to read.”

After beginning his promotional tenure with four straight first-round finishes, Maddalena has encountered more difficult sledding in recent months with split-decision wins over Holland and short-notice foe Bassil Hafez this past July. Those longer fights can be beneficial, he says.

“Every fight you take things away,” Maddlena admitted. “Especially when you’ve got three rounds, there’s a lot more film to study and a lot more technical aspects you can work on. Just good experience.”

Of course, the closely-contested victories don’t always resonate with the masses nearly as much as the quick finishes. Because of that, Maddalena is aware that he probably didn’t silence his critics with his latest performance.

“Probably not,” he said. “I don’t think you every shut everyone up. I’m sure they will keep talking s—t.”