Jack Della Maddalena’s coach has released an emotional message in the wake of the Aussie star’s crushing UFC 322 defeat to Islam Makhachev in New York.
Della Maddalena, making his first welterweight title defence and stepping up to face a modern-day great, went down in a one-sided masterclass at Madison Square Garden.
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The Perth product simply had no answers for Makhachev who dominated with his suffocating wrestling onslaught for the majority of the five-rounder.
In a statement posted on Monday, Della Maddalena’s head coach Ben Vickers spoke about the title fight and praised his fighter for ‘daring to dream’.
“I am more proud of Jack and the team today than ever before,” Vickers wrote on his gym’s Instagram page.
“True, we didn’t get the marbles but we dared to dream and took our shot. It hurts. It hurts like hell but we aren’t defined by this sport it’s just what we love to do.
“We have felt all the support and love over the last couple weeks and decades and it means the world. I love Jack and the Team and I love Scrappy MMA and our community.
“I’ll see you all on the mats as soon as I’m back in glorious P Town. And rest assured, this is the beginning not the end!”
The defeat to Makhachev was JDM’s first professional defeat since 2016, ending an 18-fight win streak and his brief title reign.
Before the fight, he believed he had the tools to match Makhachev in the grappling exchanges, but the new champ quickly showed the gap was wider than expected.
Della Maddalena spent more than 18 minutes of the 25-minute fight on the canvas being dominated by the Russian, and he looked absolutely crushed afterwards towards the end.
“He [Islam Makhachev] didn’t just beat Jack Della, he didn’t just dominate Jack Della,” said MMA reporter Ariel Helwani on Monday.
“Look at Jack going into the fight. It was the closest we have seen to the reincarnation of Nick Diaz.
“That face-off on Thursday got me so hyped for this fight. The way he was standing, the way he was flexing. Jack Della is that guy.
“I don’t think less of Jack Della on this Monday as a result of what happened on that Saturday. He is that good, he is that tough.
“The guy we saw at the beginning who was introduced by Bruce Buffer was not the same guy we saw at the end of the 4th [round], beginning of the 5th, end of the 5th.
“Even his corner were saying to him, in so many words, ‘You’re broken! Stop feeling sorry for yourself! Stop looking down!’
“His body language, his face, [it] told the whole picture. Islam Makhachev broke him mentally.”
Many people noticed how different JDM looked towards the end of the fight, including UFC commentator John Anik, who said: “He looks listless. I’ve never seen that look on Jack Della Maddalena’s face before”.
Conor McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh told Helwani that he was very impressed by Makhachev’s performance.
“I thought it was incredible to be able to do that against somebody so good,” he said.
“And it’s a big jump [in weight]. 145 to 155 is ten pounds, but going 155 to 170 is 15 pounds…
“I was actually out with Jack last night, and he’s a big unit, and he said himself that he was shocked by [Islam’s power].”
Earlier this year, while ‘Della’ was battling Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Vickers delivered one of the greatest motivational speeches in the history of MMA.
“Alright, listen. You’re five minutes away from being world champ,” Vickers told Della Maddalena before the fifth round.
“Stay focused, on the cage, just disengage, let’s not get back involved. Stay on the jab, busy on the jab, move your feet, never static.
“He’s so tired, make him chase you a bit, make him miss and ping him. You are not f***ing tired, alright.
“Five minutes to realise all your f***ing dreams! Let’s go. Safety first, stay focused and keep pinging the c**t!”
Islam mauls JDM with relentless control | 02:57
Della Maddalena took the message on board, stayed composed and delivered a dominant final five minutes to win the championship belt.
Despite the loss to Makhachev, Della Maddalena remains one of the elite welterweights in the UFC and is expected to stay firmly in the title mix once the dust settles on his brutal night in New York.