Jack Della Maddalena’s welterweight championship reign ended before it could truly gather any momentum.
After upsetting Belal Muhammad to claim the 170-pound belt at UFC 315 this past May, Della Maddalena took an 18-bout professional winning streak into a high-profile title defense against former lightweight champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 this past Saturday. The Aussie struggled mightily against the wrestling of his opponent, losing a lopsided five-round verdict at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ben Vickers, who is Della Maddalena’s coach at Scrappy MMA, released a statement via Instagram reacting to the championship defeat.