Blue-chip welterweight prospect Jack Della Maddalena had the toughest fight of his still-blossoming UFC career after three rounds of back-and-forth action against Octagon newcomer and short-notice replacement Bassil Hafez in the UFC Vegas 77 co-main event last Sat. night (July 15, 2024) at APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Maddalena and Hafez scored “Fight of the Night” honors for their 15-minute brawl and the judges ultimately sided with the Aussie. “The Habibi” was complimentary of his opponent but also believes he did enough to bring home the victory.
“I want to say thank you to everyone reaching out, congratulating me,” Hafez said after the event. “I thought I won the fight. I definitely still could’ve done more. One of the toughest weight cuts of my life, but I still showed up, made weight and fought my heart out. I love all my fans, all my people. Thank you. This is just the beginning. Can’t wait to get a camp and a proper weight cut, and congratulations to Jack. He’s a beast and his striking is on point. I showed that I can take his punches and maybe we’ll meet again in the future.”
Maddalena was scheduled to fight Sean Brady at UFC 290 earlier this month in “Sin City” but that fight fell apart at the eleventh hour. Matchmakers were able to quickly recruit Josiah Harrell, who also withdrew after a wonky brain scan.
With UFC 293 going down in roughly two months, Maddalena is hoping to score a spot in the “Down Under” lineup. No word yet on what the promotion plans to do with Hafez, 31, but it would make sense to keep “The Habibi” on the 170-pound roster after such a strong showing while also giving him a chance to work his way up the ranks.
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