Della Maddalena Gets New Opponent For UFC 290

Della Maddalena will be facing UFC newcomer Josiah Harrell on the UFC’s big International Fight Week card from Las Vegas.

Rising Australian prospect Jack Della Maddalena will be staying on this week’s upcoming UFC 290 card in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It wasn’t looking good for the exciting No. 14 ranked fighter after his original No.8 ranked opponent Sean Brady pulled out of their bout citing a bad staph infection. Could the UFC find someone worthy on a week’s notice?

It probably helped that Della Maddalena voiced a willingness to face any comer at welterweight or middleweight. Now we have the name of the man the UFC picked: Josiah Harrell, aka “Muscle Hamster.”

The booking was revealed by Harrell’s friend and longtime UFC ass-kicker Matt “The Immortal” Brown.

“Good friend of mine just got called to fight on a weeks notice UFC next weekend,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “Always great to see good things happen to good people you’re all going to see him on tv and he will surprise you all! Ohio MMA on the rise!

“Josiah is going to surprise people I can promise that. A weeks notice against Jack is a tall order but Joey is special and he’ll show it.”

We’re happy to hear Della Maddalena is still fighting (and a friend of Matt Brown’s is getting his opportunity in the UFC) but it’s too bad the UFC didn’t go with any of the better known opponents that threw their hats into the cage when the call went out for an opponent.

Kevin Holland, Chris Curtis, and Joaquin Buckley all offered to fight Della Maddalena on social media, with Buckley suggesting the UFC wasn’t willing to sweeten the pot to sign his services.

Now Della Maddalena will face the unknown but undoubtedly tough “Muscle Hamster” at UFC 290. Josiah Harrell is a 24 year old who is 7-0 as a pro and 6-0-1 as an amateur. Every single one of his pro fights has ended with a finish, including his last three by knockout.

As for Jack Della Maddalena, he’s 14-2 and on four fight win streak in the UFC. He’s only ever gone to a judges’ decision once in his career. Most recently he took out Randy Brown via a rear naked choke in the first round of their fight at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.

UFC 290 goes down on Saturday Juy 8th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Keep it locked to MMA Mania for all the news and updates coming out of this big card.