Jack Della Maddalena knew who to call before the ink even dried on the contract.
The 29-year-old Australian will defend the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Islam Makhachev in the UFC 322 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Once the match was made official, Della Maddalena turned to one of his closest friends and confidants: two-time featherweight champion and future hall of famer Alexander Volkanovski, who happens to be the only man who has fought Makhachev twice.
Volkanovski lost a competitive five-round unanimous decision to the Russian at UFC 284 in February 2023, then was victimized by a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their rematch some eight months later.