UFC welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena is poised to fight for a championship title, having overcome a severe infection that could have ended his career.
The skilled southpaw is scheduled to face reigning 170lbs champion Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315 in Montreal on Sunday morning, vying for the coveted belt.
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His opportunity for UFC gold comes 14 months after he sustained a broken left arm during his impressive victory over former title challenger Gilbert Burns, an injury that required surgery.
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Just ten days following the initial operation, he required a SECOND surgery because an infection caused the wound to split open.
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Della Maddalena, aiming to become the third Australian UFC champion, spent NINE DAYS in the hospital receiving a combination of intravenous and oral antibiotics before being discharged.
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However, the ordeal wasn`t over yet. Multiple abscesses appeared in the wound over the following five weeks.
In an exclusive interview, he described the difficult experience: “It got pretty bad, you know. The infection, the broken arm and [then I] went back and I had surgery. And then ten days later, the whole wound, it`s a pretty big scar, the whole thing just started splitting. And it was sort of, like, oozing fluid and got pretty nasty.”
He continued, “And then I went back to the surgeon and he just looked at it straight away and said, `Oh, yeah, this looks like an infection.` It got nasty. The infection somehow got all the way to the bone. [But] it was just one of those things. I thought it was just unlucky, you know. It`s one of those risks you take with surgeries. And I was unlucky enough to bear the full brunt of that sort of situation. But then, it was just trying to fight the infection.”
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“It was hard to get rid of the infection. It was a lot of antibiotics and a few surgeries to get rid of the infected bone, but we got through it in the end.”
The recovery was an emotional challenge for Della Maddalena. He admitted: “It was hard. I had ups and downs. Coming off such a big win and then having the injury, which was no big deal, like I`ve had injuries before. But then getting the news that it was infected, I was like, `Wow, that`s interesting.` So that was another down. And then just not being able to knock the infection, it was pretty devastating. Especially as I was eager to get back in there.”
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“I had plans of competing a lot last year, but I`ve just rolled with it. I just had to stay strong, you know.”
His family, particularly the birth of his second child, provided crucial support during this difficult period.
“I was lucky enough that I had some distractions,” he said. “I had my daughter, my second child was born, so that was a bit of a distraction here. But I just stayed calm and I thought, `If it`s meant to be, it will be, and I`ll be back in there.` I`m glad everything did work out.”
His opponent, Belal Muhammad, is the champion who defeated Leon Edwards in Manchester last July. Della Maddalena respects Muhammad`s skills and is not underestimating him.
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“It was a tough performance,” Della Maddalena said of Muhammad`s title win. “Belal is very good, he doesn`t get the props he deserves. He`s a good fighter and he comes in always with a good game plan. He`s a good and well-rounded fighter.”
“It was a tough fight. I think Belal just went in there and I think he had the right game plan to stifle Leon`s advantages. It wasn`t his [Edwards`] best performance, of course. He`s had a lot of good performances. But, I guess anyone can win on any given night. And I think that night was definitely Belal`s night.”
The fight is scheduled for early Sunday morning at UFC 315.
Percy Harlow