After losing his first two professional fights, Jack Della Maddalena went on to win the next 16. This includes six fights in the UFC, three of which saw him win the Performance of the Night Bonus. All of those were finishes, but finishing Gilbert Burns won’t be easy as he’s as hard as they come.
In fact, we could see just the opposite happen – the 3rd-degree BJJ black belt might use his grappling skills to derail the Della Maddalena hype train.
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gilbert Burns | +144 |
| Jack Della | -164 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida
- Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024
- Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: PPV
Reasons Why Gilbert Burns Can Upset the Odds
He’s turning 38 this year, but this guy is showing no signs that he’s going to slow down anytime soon. Last year, for example, he fought three times. It was the first time since 2019 that we saw him fight so many times in a single calendar year.
And he did alright. He defeated Neil Magny by submission and Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision. Then, in his most recent fight, he lost to Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision.
Belal just landed way more strikes than him, which is probably what Della Maddalena plans to do at UFC 299. This is why Burns needs a different fight plan. He needs to turn this bout into a grappling duel as he probably stands a better chance of winning that way.
Although he hasn’t been too impressive grappling-wise since coming to the UFC, the fact is that he’s one of the finest grapplers in the promotion. In fact, he’s one of only a couple of active fighters who have a 3rd-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. None of the ranked welterweights apart from him has this belt.
Reasons Why Bookies Favor Jack Della Maddalena
Straight striking is his No.1 strongest weapon, the evidence of which is that 11 of his 16 wins happened by KO/TKO. Plus, the three fights he won by decision saw him out-strike his opponents. He also has three wins by submission, one of which happened against BJJ black belt Randy Brown.
Still, the biggest win of his career is the one that happened in his previous round. He beat Kevin Holland by a split decision last September. It was a close fight, with both fighters landing 100+ significant strikes. Holland landed more, but Della Maddalena’s strikes were far more devastating.
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena Prediction
If this turns into a striking duel, Della Maddalena will win easily. However, if Burns manages to take the fight to the ground, we could see him winning.
We think there’s a good chance that this may happen. Burns is tough enough not to get KO-ed and if he can get his opponent in a clinch, his BJJ skills might help him get a submission win.
Pick: Gilbert Burns