As soon as the UFC announced an event in Perth, it was close to a
given that Della Maddalena would be on the card. Not only is he one
of the few UFC talents repping Western Australia, but Della
Maddalena is also one of the top welterweight prospects in the
promotion. A fun decision win over Ange Loosa on
Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 was a promising start for
Della Maddalena, but 2022 served as a breakout year with
first-round knockouts of Pete
Rodriguez, Danny
Roberts and Ramazav Emeev, complete with the Aussie showing
some chops on the ground to survive against the latter. Still just
26 years old, Della Maddalena looks to have a good few years in him
as an elite action fighter as an absolute floor, and a charge up
the ranks to contender status certainly is not out of the question.
This matchup against Brown serves as a big test to see whether or
not the Aussie can get over the proverbial hump. Brown is a
fascinating fighter. “Rude Boy” came to the UFC with seemingly
limitless physical potential, and while he has done well to hone
his craft over the ensuing eight years, it does feel like that
athleticism is holding everything together. Brown is among the
longest fighters in the division and can hold his own as both a
potent range striker and an underrated grappler, but there are
almost always a few moments in each fight where things start to go
sideways, whether it is through some poor decision making or a
lapse in defense that allow his opponent to take over. Still, Brown
has gotten potent enough with his grab bag of skills to win six of
his last seven fights against a solid slate of competition, and he
could get a huge victory here. Della Maddalena has proven durable
to date, but his tendency to take one to give one does seem like it
will run him into trouble sooner rather than later. Right now, the
surer bet looks to be that Della Maddalena will find an opening to
break open this fight, whether by his own doing or Brown’s; and the
Aussie has proven himself a viciously calculated finisher when
given the chance. The pick is Della Maddalena via first-round
knockout.
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