Australia has achieved a historic first: two simultaneous UFC champions, a feat celebrated enthusiastically by featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. Following Jack Della Maddalena`s impressive performance at UFC 315 on Saturday night, where he defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision to capture the welterweight crown, Volkanovski shared his excitement.
This victory makes Della Maddalena the third Australian UFC champion, joining Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker. With Volkanovski recently regaining his featherweight belt at UFC 314, Australia now boasts two reigning champions concurrently for the first time.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski exclaimed, “Jack Delly gets it done. How good is that? Two belts back in Australia.” He described the bout as “Great fight, very fun fight. Very competitive,” and felt the 49-46 scorecard in Della Maddalena`s favor was accurate despite some close rounds.
Volkanovski particularly lauded Della Maddalena`s “Great boxing, great takedown defense.” He noted that even when Muhammad managed a takedown, JDM was never in serious trouble and possessed an uncanny ability to regain his feet whenever he decided to. He characterized Della Maddalena`s approach to the ground as seemingly accepting the position briefly before choosing to stand up, a pattern seen in previous fights.
Although defeated, Belal Muhammad delivered a strong showing, landing significant strikes in the stand-up and earning Fight of the Night honors alongside Della Maddalena, despite suffering a nasty cut. Volkanovski acknowledged Muhammad`s durability, stating, “Credit to Belal… Della was landing big shots, and Belal was eating them. So credit to Belal, he’s got a chin… you’ve got to give credit to Belal for eating them like he did.”
Volkanovski concluded by offering heartfelt congratulations to the new champion: “But Della, well done, my man. That’s an incredible victory. Massive win against a tough, well-rounded opponent like Belal. Incredible. Two belts to Australia… I’m buzzing. Very, very, very happy for Jack Della. That’s making history. Two belts in Australia right now. Two champions at the same time. Incredible. Jack Della, congratulations. Well done, my man.”
