Although utter dominance is impressive, how a rising prospect responds to adversity is often more telling about their title hopes. That came Della Maddalena’s way in the summer of 2023.
Originally scheduled to face Sean Brady at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, Della Maddalena made the trip to Las Vegas hoping to break into the division’s Top 10. However, a week before the bout, Brady pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Josiah Harrell. Then, the day before the event, Harrell was pulled from the fight, leaving Della Maddalena without an opponent.
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Not wanting to waste a training camp and the trip to the States, Della Maddalena stayed in Sin City and cut weight again to face Bassil Hafez the next week at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva in the UFC APEX. Hafez brought the fight to Della Maddalena, but Della Maddalena did enough to receive the split nod from the judges. It wasn’t the runaway effort most came to expect from him, but considering the context around the fight, Della Maddalena showed plenty of grit and focus in a high-risk, low-reward situation while earning Fight of the Night honors.
Another tough test came next in the form of the ever-dangerous Kevin Holland at the first Noche UFC event. The hotly anticipated affair was slower than expected, showing Della Maddalena’s ability to control the pace of a fight against the unpredictable Holland. In the end, the judges gave Della Maddalena a split decision that some felt should have been unanimous.
