He didn’t get this face playing chess. One of UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena’s most distinguishing characteristics, apart from his penchant for brutal knockouts – two in the UFC thus far – is what he described on The MMA Hour as a “pretty bad nose”, smashed in only his second MMA outing.
“I’ve got a pretty bad nose. It’s been smashed in.
I think it happened in my second MMA fight. I got kneed straight in the nose and since that day, it’s been facing the wrong way.”
In his first two fights, Della Maddalena was 0-2, facing the possibility that a future as a professional fighter may not be for him. He made a pact, then and there, with his head coach never to taste defeat again. Now he’s got two knockouts in two fights in the UFC, and traces the journey so far to that pivotal moment.
Why Jack Della Maddalena Won’t Be Fixing His Nose: “My job is to get punched in it”
“I lost my first fight and then went into another fight and had lost two fights. My coach wasn’t there the second time around but we spoke on the phone, we thought I was better than being an 0-2 fighter and we made that pact to get to 10-2.
It seemed like a massive goal at that stage to get 10 wins in a row, but we just slowly worked at it and made it happen.”
Della Maddalena is now 12-2, and has often made a point of seeking out the toughest competition he can. Unlike some fighters, such as Sean O’Malley, who prefers to fight smarter, not harder, Della Maddalena is constantly looking to test himself.
“There’s definitely different roads you can take. Some people want to take a smarter route, take it slow, but I’m a competitive person at heart. I always want to fight the best person I possibly can at that time.
I’m going to see how it goes, let it fall naturally. But if I get the options, I’m always going to try to take the toughest fight I can take at that time.”
Does that mean a ranked opponent is around the corner?
“I always want to fight bigger and better competition, to be honest. Anyone better than the last guy is good to me. If that is a possibility, hell yeah I’d be into that. I’d be into the best ranked guy I can. If I could get a top-15 guy now, I’d absolutely be on the moon.”
As for his smashed sniffer, that’s a lower priority.
“I am going to get it fixed one day. But I thought what’s the point of getting it fixed now when my job is to get punched in it? But I will get it fixed one day.”
What do you make of UFC welterweight prospect Jack Della Maddalena? Let us know in the comments.
