New York: Jack Della Maddalena’s head coach Ben Vickers has addressed growing speculation that the Australian star entered his UFC 322 title fight against Islam Makhachev with an undisclosed injury.
Following Della Maddalena’s abrupt end to his welterweight title reign, rumours have circulated across Australia questioning whether the former champion stepped into the Octagon at less than full health.
The 28-year-old Australian was convincingly defeated by Makhachev via unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden, where the Russian superstar became a two-division UFC champion. The loss came just six months after Della Maddalena captured the welterweight belt from Belal Muhammad.
Notably, Della Maddalena has remained silent since the defeat and did not take part in a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan inside the Octagon.
Coach Ben Vickers Breaks Silence on Injury Rumours
Speaking on Submission Radio, Vickers acknowledged the circulating rumours but refused to either confirm or deny whether his fighter competed with an injury.
“When you commit to having a fight, it doesn’t matter what is wrong with you, if anything was,” Vickers said.
“I am not going to confirm or deny anything. When we decided to step in the cage, we believed Jack could win that fight. That is all I’m gonna say.”
Vickers emphasised that neither he nor Della Maddalena were looking for excuses regarding the result.
“There are no excuses here. We didn’t do enough on the day to get the job done. Jack was ready, and I was confident Jack was going to win,” he added.
While the speculation continues, the fighter and his camp appear focused on regrouping and plotting the next steps following the end of Della Maddalena’s brief but memorable title run.
