For the first time in history, Australia can proudly claim two simultaneous UFC champions, a milestone that has Alexander Volkanovski absolutely thrilled.
Jack Della Maddalena achieved a significant upset on Saturday night at UFC 315, defeating Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision in the main event to capture the welterweight championship. This victory makes “JDM” only the third Australian fighter ever to hold a UFC title, joining the ranks of Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker. With Volkanovski recently regaining his featherweight belt at UFC 314, Australia now boasts two reigning champions at the same time.
Expressing his excitement on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski exclaimed, “Jack Delly gets it done. How good is that? Two belts back in Australia.” He characterized the bout as a “great fight, very fun fight,” acknowledging its competitive nature. Reflecting on the scoring, he added, “I think Jack — as soon as I heard 49-46, I thought that was Jack. If anyone was 49-46, it was Jack. Obviously, there were some close rounds.”
Volkanovski lauded Della Maddalena`s striking and his impressive takedown defense. He observed that even when taken down, JDM consistently avoided being in truly compromising positions and possessed the ability to return to his feet seemingly whenever he decided to. “It`s weird with Jack Della,” Volkanovski commented. “It`s like sometimes he ends up down, ‘Oh, alright. Well done. Accept it a little bit, maybe give me 10, 20 seconds to get my breath back.’ And whenever he chooses to make something happen and get back to his feet, he can… Belal was able to get him in the pin, but when he chose, ‘Alright, I’m getting up,’ he just made space and got up.”
Although Della Maddalena emerged victorious, Volkanovski also gave credit to Belal Muhammad for his resilient performance, which contributed to the fight earning Fight of the Night honors. Muhammad absorbed significant damage, and Volkanovski commended his toughness. “Credit to Belal,” Volkanovski said. “Belal was still standing his ground. Della was landing big shots, and Belal was eating them. So credit to Belal, he’s got a chin. I thought shots like that would have gotten him down, so you’ve got to give credit to Belal for eating them like he did.”
Volkanovski concluded by celebrating Della Maddalena`s achievement. “But Della, well done, my man. That’s an incredible victory. Massive win against a tough, well-rounded opponent like Belal. Incredible. Two belts to Australia… Incredible. I’m buzzing. Very, very, very happy for Jack Della. That’s making history. Two champions at the same time. Incredible. Jack Della, congratulations. Well done, my man.”
Marcus Blakely 
Wesley Dunham