Jack Della Maddalena’s title reign ended on Saturday night at UFC 322 after he lost a lopsided decision to Islam Makhachev in the main event.
In a grappling-heavy performance, Makhachev took Della Maddalena
to the ground four times and racked up over 19 minutes of control time during the 25 minute fight. Overall, Della Maddalena was only credited with landing 30 strikes during the five-round fight as Makhachev won on the scorecards to become the 11th fighter in UFC history to capture titles across two divisions.
On Sunday, Della Maddalena’s head coach Ben Vickers released a statement addressing the disappointing night at the office, which ended with the loss of his welterweight title.
“I am more proud of a Jack and the team today than ever before,” Vickers wrote on his Scrappy MMA and Fitness page on Instagram. “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!”
While Della Maddalena was the underdog heading into the fight, he promised to give Makhachev a rude welcome to the welterweight division after moving up from 155 pounds.
Instead, Makhachev showed why he’s long talked about changing divisions due to the arduous weight cut he endures to compete at lightweight. Makhachev didn’t get the finish on Saturday but he effectively took Della Maddalena down at will and maintained control on the ground while looking for several submission attempts, although he came up empty each time.
Della Maddalena hadn’t tasted defeat since losing the first two fights of his career, which then led to a remarkable 18 fight winning streak including a perfect 8-0 record in the UFC.
Now the Australian slugger has to rebound after falling to Makhachev on Saturday and losing the title he just claimed back in May with a stunning performance to beat Belal Muhammad.
