Jack Della Maddalena believes he’s the “scariest” fighter in the welterweight division.
In order to prove that, the 27 year-old Aussie will need to eliminate some other “scary” combatants at 170 pounds. Chief among them is undefeated welterweight bruiser Shavkat Rakhmonov, who finished all 18 of his fights by way of knockout or submission.
“There’s some scary people in this division, and I’m the f*cking scariest,” Della Maddalena said after stopping former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. “Shavkat Rakhmonov, I think me and you could make a hell of a title eliminator. One of the best in the business, let’s go!”
He may need to wait for that broken arm to heal.
Rakhmonov vs. Maddalena won’t happen unless the promotion continues to delay the welterweight title bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. In addition, top contenders Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman would need to reject a potential “Nomad” matchup.
“Logically speaking, the fight against Maddalena is one of our next steps,” Rakhmonov’s manager told Sport24ru. “Because if Colby and Usman refuse to fight Shavkat, we’re left with only Maddalena. Another option is related to the fight between Belal and Leon. If they are going to fight soon, Shavkat doesn’t plan to fight anytime soon either. We will consider a title fight right away. We have such an option.”
Rakhmonov, 29, demanded a title shot after submitting Stephen Thompson at UFC 296.
No word yet on when the promotion plans to book the Edwards vs. Muhammad title fight. We also don’t know yet if Usman is going to return to the middleweight division. Lastly, Covington seems hellbent on fighting welterweight wunderkind Ian Machado Garry.
“My dream matchup is [to] fight Shavkat Rakhmonov in Perth, would be my five-rounder for the title eliminator,” Della Maddalena previously told Submission Radio. “I think he’s the toughest fighter in the division outside myself. I think he’s one of the most challenging guys outside of the champion. But I think that sort of fight, you beat Shavkat, there’s not much else you can do except take a title shot.”
Hopefully UFC can sort through some of its 170-pound clutter in the coming weeks.