Athletes
Fighters On The Rise | UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski
Make Sure You Know Which Athletes Have Momentum Heading Into UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski
UFC events in Australia always feature an energetic crowd and have a history of being wildly entertaining.
The first UFC event where every fight ended in a finish took place in Sydney on November 8, 2014, capped off by Luke Rockhold submitting Michael Bisping. UFC 243 in Melbourne featured the largest audience for a UFC event in history, as 57,127 people witnessed Israel Adesanya stop Robert Whittaker in the second round to unify the middleweight title.
And let’s not forget that Holly Holm shook the sports world to its core in Melbourne as well, knocking Ronda Rousey from atop the bantamweight division to close out UFC 193.
Order UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski
There are no guarantees that Saturday’s fight card will deliver a sport-shifting moment, but the collection of athletes set to step into the Octagon are sure to entertain and the audience is bound to be in full throat from the jump.
A week after spotlighting a tetra pack of Japanese talents, we’re sticking with a single nation collective here, as well, as here are three Australian athletes worth keeping a close eye on this weekend.
Jack Della Maddalena
Last year’s UFC Rookie of the Year, Della Maddalena went from earning a contract in the fall of 2021 to rising to the precipice of the welterweight rankings by posting three consecutive first-round stoppage victories.
View Della Maddalena's Athlete Profile Here
He smashed short-notice replacement Pete Rodriguez in January, navigated a couple tricky spots before settling Ramazan Emeev in June, and wrapped his year with a second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus by handily dispatching Danny Roberts in November, pushing his winning streak to 13 in the process.
Now the 26-year-old returns home to Perth for a step up in competition by stepping in with Randy Brown on Saturday’s pay-per-view main card.
Jack Della Maddalena | 2022 Résumé
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Jack Della Maddalena | 2022 Résumé
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An eight-year UFC vet, Brown has progressed from raw emerging talent to standing alongside Della Maddalena on the cusp of cracking the Top 15. He’s honed his striking skills and learned to play to his strengths, utilizing his reach and quickness to amass a 10-4 record inside the Octagon, and he enters this weekend’s pairing on a four-fight run of success.
Della Maddalena is giving up heaps in both the height and reach department, and they’re challenges he’ll need to successfully deal with if he hopes to keep things moving forward and post a victory at home. Everything he’s shown thus far suggests he’s capable of finding a way to get his hand raised, and if he does, last year’s top newcomer will put himself in a position for another step up in competition, and a chance to break into the rankings later this year.
Tyson Pedro
Pedro made six appearances in his first 25 months in the UFC, putting together a 3-3 record while showing plenty of flashes of upside for someone as early in their career as he was at the time. While he was outmatched against more seasoned foes, the affable, engaging light heavyweight looked like someone that could enjoy a lengthy tenure in the Top 15, and who just might develop into a contender as he gained more experience and continued improving.
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A string of injuries put Pedro on the sidelines for more than three years, transforming him from a developmental talent worth tracking to a big bundle of question marks as he made his return to action in 2022. But after a pair of impressive efforts, it’s time to once again regard the 31-year-old all-action finisher as someone to keep close tabs on in the 205-pound weight class.
In April, Pedro ended his sabbatical by stopping Ike Villanueva in the waning seconds of the opening frame, and four months later at UFC 278, he made quick work of Harry Hunsucker. Although he was heavily favored in both matchups, the fact that Pedro marched into the Octagon and handled his business rather swiftly after such a lengthy layoff is the piece that matters here, as it showed he’s back to full health and back to being an intriguing figure in the division.
Originally scheduled to face Chinese prospect Zhang Mingyang, Pedro will now face off with the returning Modestas Bukauskas, who earned a pair of victories and claimed the Cage Warriors light heavyweight title since being released by the UFC following his loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. on September 4, 2021.
This is the right kind of test for the Pedro at this point of his return — a date with a skilled, experienced, hungry opponent that should be able to push him and force him to be at his best in order to secure a victory. He’s looked outstanding in his last two starts, and if that carries over into his return to competing in front of a partisan crowd this weekend, the Australian light heavyweight with the megawatt smile could find himself back in the Top 15 and once again carrying the “potential contender” designation going forward.
Jack Jenkins
Jenkins followed in the footsteps of Della Maddalena, punching his ticket to the UFC with an impressive effort on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) last fall, setting him up with the opportunity to make his promotional debut this weekend on home soil.
The 29-year-old featherweight chipped away and stayed the course against Freddy Emiliano Linares in their clash towards the end of September at the UFC APEX, with Jenkins ultimately securing a finish with 30 seconds remaining in the bout. It was his seventh straight victory and 10th win in a dozen career appearances, and it showed that the Eternal MMA champ was ready to step onto the big stage.
WATCH: Best Of The Australians On UFC 284
Saturday night, Jenkins takes on Don Shainis in what is ostensibly a pairing of promotional newcomers. While Shainis made his official debut four days after Jenkins earned his contract with a quick submission loss to Sodiq Yusuff, a short-notice assignment against a Top 15 talent is never going to be a great representation of what a fighter can do, so “Shameless” gets a do-over of sorts here.
Like Della Maddalena, Jenkins is another fighter the Australian media contingent and fan base was excited about heading into his DWCS appearance, and like his countryman, he didn’t disappoint. Now the Absolute MMA representative gets the opportunity to start his own journey in the UFC, with a good matchup in front of a partisan crowd, on a big fight card.
These are the moments hopefuls dream about, and now it’s up to Jenkins to make his dreams come true.
UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on February 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive all the action on UFC Fight Pass!
