Australian Jack Della Maddalena rocketed into the welterweight top five with a knockout victory over the durable and experienced Gilbert Burns.
Della Maddalena landed a knee to knock down Burns at the end of the third and final round before following up with a barrage of ground and strikes for the finish.
Burns was ranked fourth at 170 pounds before the fight, while Perth’s Della Maddalena was ranked 11th.
The results see the 27-year-old improve to 17-2 and give him his seventh consecutive victory since joining the UFC.
Burns has now lost two in a row after losing a decision to Belal Muhammad while hampered by injury last time out.
It looked like the Brazilian might steal a decision against Della Maddalena in Miami, but a late change of momentum saw the Australian secure the knockout.
In the biggest fight of his career to date, Della Maddalena looked comfortable from the start, stringing together combinations on the feet and avoiding danger as Burns looked to take the fight to the canvas.
“Durinho” had a little more success in the second round, landing a strong elbow and securing several takedowns.
In the final round, Burns again looked to use his grappling to secure the victory and looked to be on his way before Della Maddalena was able to find some separation down the stretch.
Burns again tried to take him down, but Della Maddalena timed a knee perfectly, sending his opponent to the canvas before landing some hard blows, forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the fight.
JACK DELLA MADDALENA FOUND THE GOAL! OH LORD! ?#UFC299
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 10, 2024
As it turned out, two judges had Burns up 20-18 going into the final round, meaning Della Maddalena needed a 10-8 finish or round to avoid defeat.
Following the victory, Della Maddalena took the microphone to criticize a man few were eager to face: Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“Our plan was to come here, take the cash and run,” Della Maddalena told Joe Rogan in the cage.
“I knew I hurt him, he stayed there a long time, he’s the man.
“There are some scary people in this pision, but I’m the scariest and Shavkat Rakhmonov, I think you and I could have an amazing title eliminator.
“One of the best in the pision, come on.”
A win over Rakhmonov (18-0) would certainly be the strongest possible argument for a title shot.
UFC Welterweight Rankings
Rankings prior to UFC 299
Champion: Leon Edwards
- Kamaru Usman
- Belal Muhammad
- Shavkot Rakhmonoc
- Gilberto Burns
- Colby Covington
- Ian Machado Garry
- Sean Brady
- Stephen Thompson
- Geoff Neal
- Vicente Luque
- Jack Della Maddalena
- Neil Magny
- Kevin Holland
- miguel chiesa
- Rinat Fakhretdinov
