Newly crowned UFC champion Jack Della Maddalena is adapting to the increased fame, attention, and responsibilities that come with his new status.
This follows his victory at UFC 315 in Montreal, Canada, where he defeated Belal Muhammad in an upset to claim the welterweight title.
The win capped off the Australian`s undefeated journey in the UFC, rising from newcomer to champion with an 8-0 record in the promotion.
Now, the striking specialist aims to have a longer title reign than Muhammad`s, which Della Maddalena ended during Muhammad`s first attempted defense.
As he navigates this new phase, the new champion recently received valuable advice from a familiar colleague.
Robert Whittaker Offers Advice to Jack Della Maddalena on Life as a UFC Champion
Among those who celebrated Della Maddalena`s welterweight title win was Robert Whittaker, another prominent Australian fighter competing in the UFC.
Whittaker has experience reaching and staying at the top, having held UFC gold from 2017 to 2018 and consistently ranking in the middleweight top five since then.
Given his background, `The Reaper` is well-equipped to advise his fellow Australian as he begins this new chapter. Whittaker shared his thoughts during a recent interview on Submission Radio.
“Everybody’s different. I think a big thing for me was re-establishing goals,” Whittaker stated.
“That’s a huge one. It’s a big thing that a lot of champions — guys that reach the top of the game, guys that get the belt wrapped around their waist — struggle to do.”
“They’ve worked and they’ve grinded all throughout their career to work their way up to the pinnacle of the sport. Then they achieve it and they’re kind of left in limbo, not knowing where the next goal is, what got them into the gym six days a week.
Whittaker concluded, “I think having goals and goal-setting is super important for any champion.”
Robert Whittaker Aims to Rejoin Jack Della Maddalena as an Active Australian UFC Champion
Although Whittaker`s time as champion ended over six years ago, the 34-year-old is still striving for a second title reign.
`The Reaper` last contended for a belt in his 2022 rematch loss to Israel Adesanya. His momentum was also temporarily slowed by a title eliminator defeat to the eventual champion Dricus du Plessis.
While consecutive victories over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov brought the Australian close to another title shot, a significant submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev means `Bobby Knuckles` must now rebound again.
To keep his aspirations alive of joining Della Maddalena and Alexander Volkanovski as active Australian UFC champions, Whittaker is set to face Reinier de Ridder.
Their upcoming bout was recently announced as the main event for UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.
Gareth Pendleton