Jack Della Madalena’s path to UFC welterweight gold was almost derailed by something much more ominous than his opponent’s right hand. After breaking his arm in the opening round of the March 2024 war with Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, Della Maddalena managed to get a dramatic third round knockout over the pain. After that, his arm was bent in a way that nature hadn’t intended, but real trouble had just begun.
Jack Della Madalena’s arm injury
What should have been a routine recovery was soon caught up in a medical nightmare. In a recent sit-in interview, the welterweight world champion explained.
“It was thought to be simple. You know. A broken arm, a plate, six to 12 weeks. But after the surgery my arm stinked. I took off the cast and it was covered in yellow and blood. The surgeon opened it and everything was torn.
“After four surgeries, we were closely watching the x-rays every week. We looked at the bones carefully to see if they heal or collapsed. If the bones started to collapse, we could lose our arm. We didn’t talk about what to do next.
The infection was unforgiving. Jack Della Madalena endured four surgeries and doctors were forced to remove infected tissue and even bones. At one point, the wound erupted pus in the surgeon’s office, and the medical team was able to monitor the arms weekly, hoping that the bones would not give up completely. For the stretch, the outlook for the fight took the back seat again, becoming a more basic hope. Attach his arm.
UFC 315
For some reason, Jack Della Madarena not only maintained her arm, but also returned to the octagon at UFC 315 in May 2025. A year later on the sidelines, he faced Montreal welterweight champion Beral Muhammad. The Australians were all business, outperforming the defending champions and packing takedowns after takedowns. The judges saw it for Della Madarena, making him the third Australian to win the UFC title and ended Muhammad’s six-year unbeaten run.
“It felt good,” Della Madarena later said she underestimated the relief of having both the championship belt and two working weapons. He believed in Muhammad’s pressure, but said he believed he could always get the job done, even after the medical challenges that nearly ended his career.
Islamic Makachev
The next test for the new champion is already approaching. Jack Della Madalena says that he will be motivated by the Pond for Pond Pond King and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev with gaining weight and will have the opportunity to revenge his friend Alexander Volkanovsky’s loss to Makhachev.
The Australian said, “I think he’s going to underestimate me too. I think I like it. But it doesn’t really matter what he thinks. We’re going to fight. I’m excited.”