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Jack Della Maddalena is the new UFC welterweight champion. At one point, though, he wasn't a fighter at all. Instead, he was an amateur rugby player, and he recently answered a question about whether he would have ever left the sport had MMA not come along.
While speaking to Drake Riggs from Uncrowned Combat, 'JDM' was asked if he would have pursued rugby seriously and as a professional had he never stumbled upon MMA. According to the Australian star, it was a possibility, as he did enjoy rugby, but MMA was better. He said:
"A little bit. Maybe if I was younger and I hadn't fallen in love with MMA, I probably would have given rugby a... keep giving rugby a crack, because I did love the sport. I just, when I found MMA, was training MMA, I just much preferred that, but I loved rugby."
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Check out Jack Della Maddalena's thoughts on rugby below:
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Fortunately, Della Maddalena pursued his true passion and reached the peak of mixed martial arts this past Saturday at UFC 315. He had a daunting task ahead of him, facing the then streaking Belal Muhammad, who had gone 11 fights unbeaten and was wrapped in bulletproof confidence.
Furthermore, Muhammad had the wrestling pedigree that had always given Della Maddalena issues. Yet, come fight night, the two went to war, with the Australian star getting the better of Muhammad on the feet, bloodying him up enough to earn the judges' decision after five hard rounds.
One of Jack Della Maddalena's close friends pursued rugby
While Jack Della Maddalena never played rugby seriously, his good friend Alexander Volkanovski did. The now two-time UFC featherweight champion was once a semi-professional rugby player and weighed well over 200 pounds. Fortunately, Volkanovski eventually steered his focus elsewhere.
When 'The Great' took up MMA training to maintain his fitness during his off-season, he fell in love with the sport and never looked back. Now, he is one of the greatest fighters of all time and among the most beloved.
