Outside Source
Maddalena put his welterweight title on the line for the first time against Makhachev at UFC 322 last November. While it was one of the most anticipated matchups in the UFC, the fight turned out to be lopsided. Makhachev dominated Maddalena on the ground for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win.
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Reflecting on his loss, Maddalena admits that he should have been more active on the ground. The Australian also believes he should have been aggressive instead of focusing on his defense.
“No excuses. He was the better man… Obviously, what went wrong was being stuck on my back for 25 minutes,” he told Australian MMA. “Honestly, it was a bit of laziness, a bit of opportunities I didn’t pounce on. I should’ve been more aggressive, not so defensively minded.”
No Poker Face
Maddalena appeared to be at his wits end in the latter rounds against Makhachev. While Maddalena’s coach told him to wipe the “sorry look off” his face, commentator Joe Rogan said he felt sorry for the former champ. Maddalena admits that the infamous look on his face was of sheer disappointment. While Maddalena usually has a good poker face, it failed to work against Makhachev.
“It was just a bit of disappointment not being able to do what I wanted to do,” he said. “Knowing that I was having a poor performance. Not good enough on my part. The poker face was not on that night.”
Maddalena (18-3) is now scheduled to headline UFC Perth against Carlos Prates (23-7) in front of his home fans at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Maddalena was undefeated in 18 straight bouts, including 8 in the UFC, before losing to Makhachev. Meanwhile, Prates has finished all six of his UFC wins so far, while only losing to top contender Ian Garry.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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