Della Maddalena had to spend time on the sidelines rehabbing an arm injury that required surgery, then antibiotics after he picked up an infection, the Aussie ended up booked to face former champion Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC London.
But, when Shavkat Rakhmonov was forced out of his planned title fight with Muhammad, the UFC pivoted, and Della Maddalena was pulled from his London assignment and handed a shot at the 170-pound title.
It was a crazy turn of events that the super-chilled Australian said worked out perfectly for him.
“Yeah, I think it was good timing,” he said during media day.
“I think if I hadn’t gotten the injury, my thoughts would’ve been that I probably would’ve been fighting for a title at a similar time. I think I would’ve had to fight one of the top guys later in the year.
“I believe it’s worked out the same. I obviously missed a fight. In a perfect world, we would’ve had the fight beforehand. But I think the timeline works out well.”
The fight is also a chance for Della Maddalena to become the third Australian champion in UFC history and join Robert Whittaker and current featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. “JDM” said that Volk was a source of motivation and inspiration for him heading into his first UFC title tilt.
“Yeah, 100 percent. Everything Volk does is inspiring,” he said.
“Australian legend, one of the greats, one of the greatest athletes in our country. So yeah, I’m fully inspired by him and what he has done, and what he continues to do.”
And as for how the fight will pan out, Della Maddalena heard that Muhammad had predicted a third-round knockout, and had an interesting response to the champion’s prediction.
“Yeah, I think the third-round knockout sounds pretty spot on,” he smiled.
“I feel like all the preparations have gone well. I feel I have left no stone unturned, and I’m ready to go out there and perform.”
