Jack Della Maddalena has said he was “too defensive” in his welterweight title wipeout against Islam Makhachev, as the Australian begins the path back to another shot at the UFC star in his hometown in May.

Della Maddalena will make his UFC return against Brazilian Carlos Prates in Perth on May 2, seven months on from a thrashing at the hands of Makhachev when the Russian delivered a wrestling masterclass that included 19 minutes, 10 seconds of fight control.

While Della Maddalena’s upcoming bout against Carlos Prates is expected to be fought on the feet, the Australian reflected on his failures against the wrestling might of Makhachev, whom he is desperate to face once more down the way.

“I think I was just too defensively minded, going in I was just thinking ‘defend, defend, defend’, rather than trying to get the attack going,” Della Maddalena told ESPN. “Even when I was on the back, I feel like there were times where I did attack and then I was able to get back to my feet, but then the round had ended basically.

“So just being too defensively minded for the majority of the fight — and that was a lot of him being the guy on the front foot — that would be my main takeaway.

“Props to him, he was a better man. Obviously, I’ve got a lot to work on in that regard, so I’m just back in the gym working on it.”

Despite the one-sided nature of that defeat, which saw Della Maddalena drop the welterweight strap on his first title defence, the 29-year-old feels Makhachev is indeed beatable.

That’s despite the Russian superstar now boasting a 28-1 career record that includes his current 10-year, 16-fight UFC winning streak.

“I had a couple of days to wallow, for sure, just that heartbreak feeling.

Jack Della Maddalena looks on in disappointment after his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in New York Coty, November 15, 2025 Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“I guess it still hurts a little bit. Obviously, it’s pretty clear, I know what I need to work on, to get back on the horse. I want to get back in there and hopefully I get another shot at fighting Islam in the future, but we’ll see how it goes.

“I think anyone can win on any given night. A lot of it comes down to how you’re feeling on the night. [But] I think he’s beatable, for sure. I think everyone’s beatable. Yeah, I would love to have another shot at it.”

Once described by former middleweight champion Michael Bisping as having the “best boxing in the UFC”, Della Maddalena is enjoying the switch in training for Prates.

“The preparations are still difficult; obviously the Islam fight, honestly I spent so much time in that camp on my back in the same position I ended up in the [fight itself],” he said.

“So, it was just a long camp of just getting wrestled by people. And now it’s definitely more of a camp of pushing the pace on the feet, trying to get timing down… but I’d say it’s easier, more simple preparations.”

The Perth Fight Night will create history in Australia as the first UFC event to have a Saturday night [local time] timeslot; the previous events in the West Australian capital began at 7am in the morning, with the main event happening around lunchtime.

Jack Della Maddalena had no answer for the wrestling of Islam Makhachev in their UFC welterweight title fight Ishika Samant/Getty Images

But that will all change on May 2 with a showdown Della Maddalena believes provides the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back victory.

“It’s a great fight, he’s an exciting top contender and he’s super dangerous. He’s really put some people out in his UFC career so far,” he told ESPN.

“I’m going to have to go in there super sharp. It’s an extremely tough, dangerous fight and an exciting one for the crowd, just from how dangerous he is. So, I think the crowd is going to respect that and may the best man win.”

Given his status as the hometown man and the shift to an evening timeslot, Della Maddalena is expecting an atmosphere akin to that which engulfed RAC Arena when countryman Alexander Volkanovski fell agonizingly short of handing Makhachev just a second career loss back in 2023.

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be insane. I fought on that same night [UFC 284] and it was such an incredible atmosphere,” he said. “I can’t wait to recreate that sort of energy and being a Saturday night is even better.”

Tickets for UFC Fight Night Perth are on sale from March 27.