Jack Della Maddalena is open to the idea of fighting Mike Malott, but the bout won’t happen at least until the spring.
Maddalena has some adjusting to do after suffering back-to-back losses. The former UFC welterweight champion lost his title to Islam Makhachev via unanimous decision back in Nov. 2025. Maddalena attempted to stay in the title picture against Carlos Prates in May, but he ended up being stopped in the third round.
One way Maddalena might be able to turn things around is by halting the momentum of a surging contender such as Malott, and he told Bedtime MMA that it’s a fight that intrigues him (h/t MMAMania.com).
“Yeah, for sure,” Maddalena said. “I’ll be into that.”
The question is, does Maddalena’s timeline match up with Malott’s? Maddalena felt he rushed into his UFC Perth bout with Prates, and he doesn’t want to make the same mistake going into 2027.
“I feel like the last one, I sort of just jumped into the Perth fight because I kinda had to,” Maddalena said. “So I didn’t wanna get sucked in too early. My plan after the last fight was develop the skills, become a better martial artist. So I didn’t wanna get just jump to the location, you know?”
Maddalena has no plans of returning to action this fall or winter, and he’d rather throw leather at some point this spring.
“I wanted to give the best performance for the fans, for the team. So just gonna ride it out a bit, but ready to go April, May next year.”
Malott has been rising up the ranks at 170 pounds, and he’s had his hand raised in five straight bouts. His last victory was against Joaquin Buckley, and he earned that victory with a highlight reel knockout in the second round.
Do you like the idea of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Mike Malott? How do you think the fight would play out? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
