Jack Della Maddalena was discouraged. He had gone 0-2 as an amateur mixed martial artist, then quickly found himself in an 0-2 hole as a pro, dropping his first bout by submission and his second via TKO. At that point, Della Maddalena and his coach at Scrappy MMA, Ben Vickers, set a goal of winning 10 straight fights. Della Maddalena earned nine wins with nine finishes between October 2016 and October 2020. That’s when the UFC reached out to the Australian fighter.
In September 2021, Della Maddalena got his chance to win his 10th straight fight. That opportunity came with some added pressure.