Jack Della Maddalena set the MMA community abuzz with his incredible performance in his most recent Octagon appearance. The Australian fighter dethroned Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision to become the new UFC Welterweight Champion at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025.
Della Maddalena’s coach later made an intriguing assertion, indicating that a decade-old prediction he’d made came true because of his pupil’s title win, which has likely also made someone incredibly rich.
UFC 315 Star Jack Della Maddalena’s Coach’s Prediction May Have Made Someone Very Rich
In a video tweeted by the “@RedCorner_MMA” X handle, courtesy of UFC legend Daniel “DC” Cormier, Jack Della Maddalena’s coach Ben Vickers addressed his student’s world title win.
Vickers suggested that he’d told someone to bet on Della Maddalena becoming a world champion in around 10 years. As such, the consensus is that if the person in question had indeed heeded Vickers’ advice and bet on “JDM” becoming a champion, they’d have potentially become very rich after UFC 315.
In the video, Vickers explained, “I think I sent someone a message 10 years ago, saying, ‘If you’ve got a couple of bucks, put them on ‘JDM’ to be world champ in 10 years’ time.’ And here we are. It’s unbelievable. I’ve known since I met Jack that he’s gonna be the best in the world. I’ve been in this sport for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anyone like him before.”
Della Maddalena Could Face a Pound-for-Pound Great in His First UFC Welterweight Title Defense
Reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has long been on a quest to become a two-division champion. The Dagestani fighter had time and again expressed interest in fighting for the welterweight belt when Belal Muhammad held it. However, a caveat back then was that — since they’ve both been training partners in recent years — Muhammad had consistently asserted that he wouldn’t fight Makhachev.
After Della Maddalena ended Muhammad’s title reign and was crowned as the new welterweight kingpin, speculation has abounded that his first title defense could come against Makhachev. During his post-fight Octagon interview with Daniel Cormier at UFC 315, Della Maddalena implied that he’d love to fight Makhachev, who’s currently the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC men’s rankings.
A significant allusion to the UFC possibly booking Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev for the welterweight championship next was video footage of the Australian’s post-UFC 315 phone call with top-tier UFC executives. “JDM” spoke to UFC CEO Dana White and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell, and their conversation comprised indications that his first title defense could be against Makhachev.
Presently, the exact date for the matchup hasn’t been officially announced, but Makhachev has hinted that he’s moving up to welterweight in hopes of capturing the 170-pound belt.
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