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Three years ago, Joe Rogan was on commentary duty for Jack Della Maddalena's UFC debut against Pete Rodriguez, and the veteran voice of MMA was more than impressed. The Australian, then a rising prospect, was dominant, punctuating his promotional debut with a first-round TKO.
He needed just two minutes to defeat Rodriguez, scoring one of only three TKOs at UFC 270. Australia's Nationwide News reported on Rogan's remarks, which he made during the broadcast. They were as complimentary as can be, with Rogan expressing excitement over Della Maddalena's future in the sport.
"Oh my goodness that was smooth. Della Maddalena is something special, he really is good and he's only 25 years old. This kid has a huge future ahead of him."
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It was a statement that the longtime UFC commentator repeated when conducting the post-fight interview.
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"Jack, you're 25 years old. You have an amazing future ahead of you and I can't wait to see you inside the octagon again."
Check out Joe Rogan interviewing Jack Della Maddalena below (1:00):
Ultimately, Rogan's predictions came true. Della Maddalena embarked on a lengthy unbeaten streak in the promotion, which included a win over former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns. He did well to fend off the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist's grappling at UFC 299.
In Round 3 of their encounter, Della Maddalena knocked his foe out cold with an intercepting knee and follow-up elbows. It was, at the time, the biggest win of his career. However, there would be more signature wins to come, one of which Rogan was not present for.
Joe Rogan was not on commentary duty at UFC 315
UFC 315 marked the greatest night of Jack Della Maddalena's professional life. In a five-round war that saw him batter and bloody Belal Muhammad, he ascended to the top of the welterweight division, capturing the championship belt. Unfortunately, Joe Rogan was not present for it, despite predicting his rise.
Rogan elected to skip out on commentating for the event because it was held in Canada, which he is boycotting for political reasons. Rogan once claimed he would rather fly to Russia than Canada.
