Noche UFC goes down Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. The main event is a women's flyweight title rematch as current champion and Mexico's Alexa Grasso looks to defend her title against former 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko. However, the co-main event may as well be the people's main event as it features a ranked welterweight encounter between the ever-popular Kevin Holland and rising star Jack Della Maddalena.
If you're a casual fan who only tunes in for the big fights and events, the chances are you won't be watching. However, this is one such fight that is definitely worth watching. So with that said, here are three reasons why the Noche UFC co-main event between Kevin Holland Jack Della Maddalena is a must-watch.
It's a striker's delight
Not a fan of takedowns or the ground game in general? This is the fight for you. Both fighters prefer to stand and bang and are known for getting knockouts.
Of Holland's 25 wins, 14 have come by way of knockout with four of his last six wins being knockout finishes thanks to his kickboxing style of fighting. In fact, eight of Holland's last nine wins in the UFC have all been finishes. While two of those were submission victories, they weren't a result of Holland going for a takedown and locking in a choke. Rather, it was a result of his opponents shooting for a takedown after they couldn't handle his striking.
Della Maddalena, meanwhile, is 5-0 in the UFC with 11 of his 15 professional wins coming by way of knockout. The 27-year-old is known for his crisp boxing and plans on piecing Holland up on Saturday night.
“I just wanna show that I’m better than him,” Della Maddalena said (via MMA News). “I wanna really piece him up, put on a masterclass and just let him know we’re not on the same level. That’s my goal, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
An added bonus is the fight will be taking place in front of a large crowd at the T-Mobile Arena rather than the UFC Apex. The atmosphere during the fight should be electric.
Things are a bit heated
Kevin Holland is known for his trash talking. He does it in the buildup to fights. He does it during fights. His nickname is even “Big Mouth.”
That said, he was trying to minimize the trash talk going into this fight. However, some slipped out as he couldn't help himself. With Della Maddalena — an Aussie — continually campaigning to fight at UFC 293 in Sydney this past weekend, Holland fired a shot at his opponent stating he wasn't worth going to Australia to fight.
“If they cover my taxes, I’ll go anywhere,” Holland said during media day (via MMA Junkie). “I’m pretty sure if they really wanted me to fight in Australia, they would’ve covered the taxes. I wasn’t asked to fight in Australia. I was asked to fight in Vegas when the fight fell out with Kelvin Gastelum and old boy, and I’m here in Vegas.
“Old boy keeps crying about not being able to fight in Australia. Motherf****r, if you were worth somebody coming out to Australia to fight you, they would’ve made sure somebody came to Australia to fight you. You’ve got a Timex sponsorship. Be happy with that and shut the f**k up. Bam. My bad. See, y’all are getting me in that zone. I’m trying not to go there.”
Not that this fight needed any trash talk to hype it up further, but it always helps.
It will be a true test for Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena is not a UFC hype train in the same vein as an Ian Garry or Sean O'Malley. However, he still carries plenty of hype and it's fair to say the promotion has high hopes for him.
That is exactly why this is not an ideal fight for him. Holland is a game opponent that is extremely tough to put away. Not to mention, he'll have a huge size and reach advantage. It's one of the reasons why Holland feels he'll never fight someone like Garry as he could ruin the promotion's plans for him.
And so, this is a true test for Della Maddalena to show that he really belongs at the highest level and can fulfill his potential. Holland is undoubtedly the biggest and toughest opponent he'll have faced thus far. The Aussie may be a slight betting favorite and a potential win over Holland will only likely move him up to No. 13 in the rankings, but a win would still be massive and could fast track him to a title shot quicker than if he fought someone else.
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