The Invoice Guy From Perth Who Became UFC Welterweight Champion

Jack Della Maddalena lost his first two professional MMA fights. Like, back to back. TKO in his debut, then submitted in his second fight a couple months later. The guy who just held the UFC welterweight title started his career looking like he might not make it out of the Australian regional scene.

Giacomo From Perth

His real name is Giacomo. Most people don't know that. Giacomo Della Maddalena, born September 10, 1996 in Perth, Western Australia. Italian Australian family. His grandfather came over from Sardinia and brought that whole Mediterranean thing with him. Jack grew up in a household where the Italian roots were still strong even though he's as Aussie as it gets.

He played rugby from the time he was eight years old. St. Kevin's College in Melbourne first, then Aquinas College back in Perth. He was good at it too. One of his classmates at St. Kevin's was Henry Hutchison, who went on to play rugby sevens for Australia at the Olympics. So the school was producing legit athletes and JDM was right in the middle of it.

But the real training happened at home. His older brother Josh is also a fighter, two years older, and the two of them used to beat the absolute hell out of each other in the backyard. No gloves. No rules. Just two brothers scrapping until someone gave up or their mom probably made them stop. They'd take turns hitting a tackle bag, Josh throwing heavy shots while Jack tried to keep up.

When he was 14, Josh pushed him to join a boxing gym. The idea was to get in better shape for rugby season. That was the plan. Stay fit, throw some punches, go back to rugby when the season started.

But he never went back to rugby.

The 0-2 Start Nobody Talks About

JDM turned pro in March 2016. He was 19 years old. His first fight was against a guy named Aldin Bates at Eternal MMA 15 in Perth. Third round TKO. Loss. His second fight was two months later against Darcy Vendy at Eternal MMA 17. First round submission. Loss.

0-2. Two fights. Two losses. Two completely different ways to lose.

Most people with that start don't make it. The dropout rate for fighters who start 0-2 is massive because the doubt is just too heavy. You've never won a professional fight. You don't know if you can. Every sparring session you're wondering if the other guys in the gym are better than you because at least THEY have wins on their record.

But JDM didn't quit. He came back five months later at Eternal MMA 20 and knocked out Brandt Cogill in the second round. First professional win. And then he just kept winning. And winning. And winning. He won the Eternal MMA Welterweight Championship by beating Ty Duncan, defended it multiple times, and at one point went on a streak so long that the Australian MMA scene ran out of guys to put in front of him.

Oh and he also went back and beat Aldin Bates. The same dude who beat him in his very first fight. He rematched him later in his career and won. That's how you close a chapter.

The Invoice Guy

Here's my favorite detail about JDM and I don't think enough people know about it. While he was building his fight career on the Australian regional circuit, he was working a desk job at a company called Key Factors in Perth. His actual job was analyzing whether businesses would be able to pay their invoices.

Bro was crunching numbers in an office during the day and knocking people out on weekends lol. That's so far from the typical fighter origin story where some kid grows up in a gym and fights his whole life. JDM was sitting at a desk looking at spreadsheets and financial documents and then driving to Scrappy MMA after work to train with coach Ben Vickers.

The office job is honestly what makes the rest of the story hit so much harder. This wasn't a lifelong combat sports prodigy. This was a rugby kid from Perth who found boxing at 14, started MMA, lost his first two fights, and then built his career while working a regular 9 to 5 like a normal person. By the time he got the UFC call, he'd earned it in a way that most fighters don't. Nothing was given. Nothing was fast tracked. He grinded through the Australian circuit, worked his day job, and waited for his shot.

The Contender Series and the UFC Run

September 2021. Dana White's Contender Series. JDM fought Ange Loosa and got the finish. UFC contract signed. He was 25 years old and he'd been a professional fighter for five years with an office job to show for most of it.

His UFC debut was at UFC 270 in January 2022 against Pete Rodriguez. First round KO. Performance of the Night. And that was basically the start of one of the most dominant welterweight runs the UFC has seen in recent years.

Ramazan Emeev. TKO round one. Performance of the Night. Danny Roberts. TKO round one. Performance of the Night. Randy Brown. Submission round one. Performance of the Night. Three straight first round finishes with three straight bonuses. The man was collecting $50K checks like he was still at Key Factors crunching invoices except now the invoices were other fighters' careers.

He beat Bassil Hafez by split decision. Beat Kevin Holland by split decision. Then came Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. Burns was winning the fight. Outworking him. Looking like the better fighter for two rounds. And then in the third round JDM threw a flying knee that put Burns on another planet. TKO. Another bonus. Another highlight reel finish that reminded everyone why this kid from Perth was different.

That win got him the title shot.

The Belt and the Loss

UFC 315. May 2025. Montreal. JDM vs Belal Muhammad for the welterweight championship. Muhammad was the champion. JDM was the challenger. Most people thought Muhammad's wrestling and pressure would be too much.

JDM won by unanimous decision. Became the UFC welterweight champion. The kid who started 0-2 in Perth held the belt. His wife Michelle was cageside. She'd been with him since 2016, since before he'd even won a professional fight. Their son Franco was born in 2022, their daughter after that. The whole family watched dad become champion.

Then came Makhachev.

UFC 322. November 2025. New York. Islam Makhachev moved up from lightweight and challenged JDM for the welterweight strap. And Islam did what Islam does. Calf kicks. Takedowns. Relentless pressure for 25 minutes. 50-45. 50-45. 50-45. Every round on every card. JDM didn't just lose. He got shut out.

And his response to that loss is the thing that tells you exactly who he is. He told Sherdog this week that it came down to "a bit of laziness." Not the weight class difference. Not Makhachev being P4P #1. Laziness bro. He said he should've been more aggressive and he let Islam dictate everything without pushing back.

That kind of honesty from a former champion is rare. Most guys blame the judges, blame the ref, blame the weight cut. JDM looked at himself and said "I didn't bring it."

Saturday Night in Perth

So now we're here. UFC Fight Night. RAC Arena. Perth, Australia. Prime time Saturday night. The hometown boy comes home for the first time since losing the belt.

And the UFC matched him up with Carlos Prates, who might be the scariest finisher in the entire welterweight division.

Prates has KO'd five of his six UFC opponents. Five out of six. He slept Geoff Neal with a spinning back elbow in round one. He flatlined Leon Edwards, who had NEVER been stopped by strikes in his career, in the second round at MSG. His average UFC fight time is 9 minutes and 10 seconds. The man does not let fights go to the judges.

His only loss was a decision to Ian Machado Garry and even in that fight he almost finished Garry with a late rally in the fifth round. Prates is 18-3, ranked #5, 28 years old, and the kind of opponent who can end your night with one shot from any position. The odds are basically a coin flip.

The matchup comes down to distance. JDM wants to get inside and box. Prates wants to keep it long and counter. If JDM can pressure and land clean combinations in mid range, his cardio and technical boxing take over in the later rounds. If Prates can keep him at range and land one of those power shots, it could look like the Edwards fight all over again.

I'm picking JDM by TKO in the later rounds. His conditioning is better over five rounds. He's fought at a higher level for longer. And 15,000 Australians screaming his name in prime time is going to push him in the close rounds.

But if you told me Prates knocked him out in the first I would not be shocked at all. The margin against this guy is razor thin.

Set your alarm if you're in the States. Main card starts at 7 AM Eastern. The invoice guy from Perth is coming home and you don't want to miss it.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions

When is UFC Perth and how do I watch it?

UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates takes place Saturday May 2, 2026 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Prelims start at 4 AM ET and the main card begins at 7 AM ET. The entire event streams live on Paramount+.

What is Jack Della Maddalena's real name?

His full name is Giacomo Della Maddalena. He was born September 10, 1996 in Perth, Western Australia into an Italian Australian family. His grandfather emigrated from Sardinia, Italy.

Did JDM really start his career 0-2?

Yes. He lost his professional debut to Aldin Bates by third round TKO at Eternal MMA 15 in March 2016, then lost his second fight to Darcy Vendy by first round submission at Eternal MMA 17 in May 2016. He went on to win his next fight and eventually captured the Eternal MMA Welterweight Championship.

What was JDM's day job before the UFC?

Della Maddalena worked at a company called Key Factors in Perth where his job was analyzing whether businesses would be able to pay their invoices. He held this office role while building his MMA career on the Australian regional circuit.

What is Carlos Prates' record?

Prates is 18-3 overall and 6-1 in the UFC. He's ranked #5 at welterweight. Five of his six UFC wins have come by knockout including finishes of former champion Leon Edwards and top contender Geoff Neal. His only UFC loss was a decision to Ian Machado Garry.

What did JDM say about his title loss to Makhachev?

He told Sherdog it came down to "a bit of laziness." He said he should have been more aggressive instead of letting Makhachev dictate the fight. He lost every round on every scorecard (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at UFC 322 in November 2025.

Who else is on the UFC Perth card?

The card features Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld, Tim Elliott vs Steve Erceg, Shamil Gaziev vs Brando Pericic, Tai Tuivasa vs Louie Sutherland, and several bouts featuring Australian and New Zealand fighters.