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Jack Della Maddalena is the new UFC welterweight champion. The Australian star dethroned Belal Muhammad in a thrilling headliner last night at UFC 315.
With Jack Della Maddalena now holding the gold at 170 pounds, who should be next in line to face him?
'JDM' has risen up from the No.5 ranking to ascend to the top of the mountain, meaning there is no shortage of potential challengers for his newly claimed throne.
So with that in mind, who will the UFC put next in line for Della Maddalena and his welterweight title?
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Jack Della Maddalena next fight: Who is next for the new welterweight king?
Jack Della Maddalena's win over Belal Muhammad has essentially thrown the welterweight division into a major state of flux.
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The Australian was not initially next in line for Muhammad, and before last night's bout, he was ranked at No.5 in the division. Essentially, he was granted his shot by being the right guy at the right time when Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to fight at UFC 315.
However, by using his takedown defense, scrambling ability, impressive cardio, and above all else, his excellent striking, 'JDM' was able to outpoint Muhammad over five rounds. He even fought off a late rally from the champion in the fifth round to cement his win.
So, can we expect an immediate rematch with 'Remember the Name'? That's unlikely.
Muhammad was never the most popular champion with both the fans and the UFC, and realistically, his performance last night didn't warrant a rematch.
What of the four men who were ranked above Della Maddalena prior to UFC 315? We can probably discount both Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman due to them both coming off losses.
No. 1-ranked Sean Brady and No. 2-ranked Rakhmonov, though, would both make excellent challengers for 'JDM', and it's arguable both would be favored to beat him.
However, the wild card in this situation is lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
Dana White hinted earlier this week that if Della Maddalena were to win in Montreal, then Makhachev could move up to 170 pounds in an attempt to become a two-division champion. He suggested that a lot of future events hinged on UFC 315's headliner.
Since Della Maddalena's win, Makhachev has taken to X, seemingly confirming that he wants to fight the new welterweight champion next.
Whether Makhachev should be allowed to jump the queue at 170 pounds is debatable. He's never fought there before, and both Brady and Rakhmonov have more than earned a title shot.
However, the lightweight champ is one of the UFC's biggest stars right now, and the idea of a champ vs. champ fight against Della Maddalena would be a huge selling point.
The idea appears to work for 'JDM', too, who labelled it a "beautiful challenge" after his win last night.
With the promotion seemingly blowing hot and cold recently, a fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev would capture the casual fans like few other bouts.
Therefore, we should probably expect it to be booked later in 2025, with a title eliminator pitting Brady against Rakhmonov at the same event.
