Jack Della Maddalena knows what mistakes he must correct after being unseated from the welterweight throne in November 2025.
The Australian didn’t enjoy a lengthy title reign within the UFC after taking the 170-pound crown from Belal Muhammad last May.
Della Maddalena lost to Islam Makhachev in his first defense at UFC 322, having been unable to forestall the Dagestani from accumulating almost 20 minutes of control time.
Ahead of his return months on from that setback, Della Maddalena has assessed what went flawed.
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Jack Della Maddalena says he ‘didn’t pounce’ on possibilities to flee Islam Makhachev’s control
Della Maddalena will fight Carlos Prates within the major event of UFC Perth on May 2.
The Australian’s path back to the title begins against the charging Brazilian, who knocked out one other ex-champ in Leon Edwards late last 12 months to maneuver closer to a primary championship opportunity himself.
While previewing his next fight, Della Maddalena recently looked back on his first loss within the promotion and admitted that a component of “laziness” was guilty for the control time Makhachev was in a position to utilize.
“No excuses. He was the higher man,” Della Maddalena told Australian MMA. “Got here up against the most effective guys on this planet, just gotta learn from my mistakes.
“Obviously, what went flawed was getting stuck on my back for 25 minutes. Truthfully, it was a little bit of laziness, a little bit of opportunities I didn’t pounce on.
“I should’ve been more aggressive, not so defensively minded,” he added.
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Della Maddalena is targeting a rematch with Makhachev down the road. Should that come to fruition, he can have the prospect to implement the improvements and pounce on the opportunities to return to his feet the second time around.
For now, the Aussie’s focus shall be on rebounding from the defeat at Madison Square Garden with a hometown victory Down Under over Prates.