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Jack Della Maddalena will fight at UFC 290 after all.
The highly-touted welterweight prospect is set to face UFC newcomer Josiah Harrell on Saturday, July 8, following the injury withdrawal of original opponent Sean Brady.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin confirmed the booking Sunday.
Harrell (7-0) steps into the matchup on less than a week’s notice, and less than a month after his third-round knockout of Mike Roberts at LFA 160 on June 16. A 24-year-old prospect based out of Ohio, Harrell has competed at both lightweight and welterweight. He has finished all seven of his professional victories.
He now faces a massive leap up in competition against Maddalena (14-2), who has racked up a perfect 4-0 UFC record with four first-round stoppages since debuting in the promotion in early 2022. Maddalena earned his third consecutive UFC post-fight bonus for his most recent win, a first-round submission of Randy Brown at UFC 284.
Brady withdrew from the contest this past week, revealing on Instagram that he was dealing with a nasty bout of Streptococcus B in his left elbow.
Veteran UFC middleweight Chris Curtis publicly lobbied for the short-notice opportunity against Maddalena, however the UFC ultimately opted to go with Harrell.
Looks like I didn’t get the nod for the JDM fight. We both said yes but apparently the bosses had other plans. Nothing but respect to the man, one of my favorites and it would have been insane.
Eyes still on my September Dance.
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) July 2, 2023
UFC 290 takes place this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena. The centerpiece of the UFC’s annual International Fight Week festivities, the card is headlined by two title fights: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez to unify the featherweight belts, and UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno taking on Alexandre Pantoja for the third time.
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