UFC's Jack Della Maddalena thinks he can 'shock the world' by finishing Shavkat Rakhmonov
"I reckon I could spark him and then get the title shot," Jack Della Maddalena said of Shavkat Rakhmonov.
UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena is confident he could take out Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) called out Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) after knocking out former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. Rakhmonov is undefeated with a 100 percent finish rate, so Della Maddalena thinks stopping him should undeniably lead to a title shot.
“I think I finish him,” Della Maddalena told ESPN. “I think I go in there and shock the world. A lot of people count me out, but I reckon I could spark him and then get the title shot.”
Della Maddalena hopes the UFC is on board. Rakhmonov appears to be, after he sent Della Maddalena a stern warning on “X.”
I respect your courage and confidence Jack, but you will face the same fate as my previous opponents
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) March 10, 2024
“Great, he’s perfect,” Della Maddalena said of Rakhmonov’s response. “I feel like he’s like a James Bond villain, so I’m happy to be James Bond, and I thought that was the perfect response from him. I don’t know how this thing works, but I think it’s on.”
Della Maddalena broke his arm in the first round of his fight against Burns. He sees late summer as a good time for him and Rakhmonov to fight.
“I’ve seen that he wanted to fight early August,” Della Maddalena said. “He’s carrying an injury, I’m carrying an injury, I reckon I’m good to go early August, so August sometime. Mid-August, maybe down this side of the world. Who knows?”