UFC 275: Jack Della Maddalena v Ramazan Emeev preview
He’s the next big thing in Australian fighting and Jack Della Maddalena’s motivation is simple. He doesn’t want knockouts for the fans or the adulation. This is why.
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Dagestini warrior Ramazan Emeev has never been finished inside an Octagon.
Which is something ‘Della’ wants to change.
Although not for you fans.
Or even a $50,000 bonus.
Same as this Next Big Thing of the Australian fight game — a fella whose knockout rate sits about 80 per cent — isn’t even doing it to further impress UFC president Dana White, who has already branded him special.
“No, I want the finishes for me,” he says.
While he may be set to make that Octagon walk for just the second time in Singapore on Sunday, Jack Della Maddalena is promising to continue his run of big knockouts at UFC 275.
Already being hailed as the rookie to watch among UFC welterweights, the breakout 25-year-old is also keen to prove himself among the division’s best strikers when he headlines a group of four Australians fighting on the Asian card.
Famed for his punching power, Della has secured nine of 11 pro wins by either KO or TKO, with head coach Ben Vickers declaring: “He just loves to render people unconscious”.
After winning his UFC debut by first round KO, the Perth native is now looking to double down as the first to finish Sunday’s opponent Emeev inside the Octagon.
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Elsewhere, Della has also caught the attention of former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier, who is in Singapore to call the card.
“I called Jack’s debut too, tremendous performance,” Cormier told us this week.
“He’s obviously very talented, very skilful, but what really stands out for me is his confidence.
“Speaking with him before that first fight, Jack didn’t only know he was a level above his opponent, but was insistent on proving it.
“And he did, he went out there and absolutely delivered.
“So I’m excited to see what changes and adjustments he’s made since then because this fight really is the logical next step.”
While Emeev has never been stopped in seven UFC appearances, Della is confident of becoming the first to do just that.
The Scrappy MMA product added that despite winning his way into the UFC via a decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series, the result left him feeling “disappointed”.
“Because I want to get fights finished,” he said before a Thursday photo shoot with his fellow Aussies.
“It’s why after that decision (on DWCS) I felt so disappointed. Felt like I hadn’t completed things.
“So while I know Ramazan has never been finished in the UFC, that’s what I want to do.
“I want to be that fighter who finishes.
“Because I feel like finishing a fight, that’s the way you stamp your win.”
Asked if he wanted to be known as a finisher among UFC fans, the welterweight continued: “No, I don’t care about reputations or anything like that.
“I want the finishes for me.”
Boasting top billing among the four Australians fighting at UFC 275, Della will also be first up on the card’s Pay-Per-View section on Main Event.
Elsewhere, countrymen Jacob Malkoun, Josh Culibao and Jake Matthews will all fight on the preliminaries, which airs live in Australia on ESPN.
Malkoun, particularly, has garnered a big following among the NRL community, given his work as a wrestling coach with Penrith Panthers.
Della, meanwhile, has over 60 family and friends flying into Singapore for his second UFC appearance, and is embracing the hype surrounding his breakout year.
“I know there’s a lot of interest around my career at the moment,” he said. “I can feel that too which is awesome.
“But still, it doesn’t compare to the pressure I put on myself.”
The fighter’s head coach is also predicting another finish for his charge on the UFC 275 main card.
“The goal for Jack is to get three wins this year, and hopefully three stoppages,” Vickers said.
“But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
“We know this is a step up for Jack.
“But we also think the opponent is tailor made for him.
“ (Emeev) is a strong wrestler but doesn’t have a great deal to offer on the feet. So we see limited danger other than a big overhead right or left.
“But Jack, he has a fight IQ similar to that of Alexander Volkanovski.
“He really is the perfect MMA fighter.”
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Originally published as UFC 275: Jack Della Maddalena v Ramazan Emeev preview
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