Jack
Della Maddalena believes he should have been more aggressive
against Islam
Makhachev.
Maddalena put his welterweight title on the line for the first time
against Makhachev at UFC 322
last November. While it was one of the most anticipated matchups in
the
UFC, the fight turned out to be lopsided. Makhachev dominated
Maddalena on the ground for five rounds to earn a unanimous
decision win.
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Reflecting on his loss, Maddalena admits that he should have been
more active on the ground. The Australian also believes he should
have been aggressive instead of focusing on his defense.
“No excuses. He was the better man… Obviously, what went wrong was
being stuck on my back for 25 minutes,” he told Australian MMA. “Honestly, it was a bit of laziness, a
bit of opportunities I didn’t pounce on. I should’ve been more
aggressive, not so defensively minded.”
No Poker Face
Maddalena appeared to be at his wits end in the latter rounds
against Makhachev. While Maddalena’s coach told him to wipe the
“sorry look off” his face, commentator Joe Rogan said he felt sorry
for the former champ. Maddalena admits that the infamous look on
his face was of sheer disappointment. While Maddalena usually has a
good poker face, it failed to work against Makhachev.
“It was just a bit of disappointment not being able to do what I
wanted to do,” he said. “Knowing that I was having a poor
performance. Not good enough on my part. The poker face was not on
that night.”
Maddalena (18-3) is now scheduled to headline UFC Perth
against Carlos
Prates (23-7) in front of his home fans at the RAC Arena in
Perth, Australia. Maddalena was undefeated in 18 straight bouts,
including 8 in the UFC, before losing to Makhachev. Meanwhile,
Prates has finished all six of his UFC wins so far, while only
losing to top contender Ian
Garry.