Jack
Della Maddalena has a fight — it’s just a week later than
originally expected.
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The surging welterweight prospect will square off against Bassil
Hafez at
UFC on ESPN 49 on Saturday. Ariel Helwani initially reported
the 170-pound booking via Twitter, and it was subsequently
confirmed by Hafez via social media.
Maddalena had two opponents fall through at UFC 290. First,
Sean
Brady withdrew from the fight due to septic bursitis in his
elbow. Then, short-notice replacement Josiah
Harrell was pulled from the card after weigh-ins
after being diagnosed with moyamoya disease, a rare brain
disorder. The 26-year-old Maddalena has won 14 consecutive outings,
including four straight first-round finishes in UFC competition.
Most recently, he submitted Randy Brown
in the opening stanza at UFC 284 on Feb. 11.
Hafez, 31, has won four of his last five professional appearances.
He is coming off a third-round knockout of Evan Cutts at
Fury FC 75 to claim the promotion’s welterweight title.
UFC on ESPN 49 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
and is headlined by a women’s bantamweight showdown pitting
Holly
Holm against Mayra
Bueno Silva.