After taking some well-deserved downtime to enjoy Christmas before shifting his focus back to the 2026 campaign, Della Maddalena is now just a couple of days away from crossing off a big item on his personal and professional “to-do” list by headlining at home this weekend.
It’s not the first time he’s competed at RAC Arena in Perth, having earned a first-round submission win over Randy Brown at UFC 283 a handful of years ago in what felt, at the time, like his first real breakout effort that established him as a possible contender. But that night, he thought about this night, dreamed about this opportunity, and now, he begins what he hopes will be a journey back to the top of the 170-pound weight class with a headlining turn in his hometown.
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It’s really special,” Della Maddalena said. “Even the last fight, the dreams, the intentions were ‘next time I fight here, I’m gonna be headlining this card,’ and it’s come around.
“Now I get to headline the hometown show, which is really a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted to do — fighting in RAC was a big dream of mine, but the bigger dream was to headline a big card in Perth in front of the crowd, so couldn’t be more excited.
“I feel good, ready to put on a good performance,” he added. “There’s definitely pressure being the hometown guy. The majority of the people in the building want me to win, but I try not to focus too much on the outcome.
“They’re the sort of things you can’t control — winning or losing — so just focusing on going out there and putting on a good performance, a performance I can be proud of. That seems easier than putting the pressure on to try to go out there and win, but just going out there and performing well.”