UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena’s decision to remain in Las Vegas after a pair of matchups fell through for UFC 290 has paid off.
Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will now welcome UFC newcomer Bassil Hafez, who steps up on less than a week’s notice to fight at the UFC Apex. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with multiple sources following a first report from Ariel Helwani.
Della Maddalena was originally set to face Sean Brady at the pay-per-view event on July 8 at T-Mobile Arena, but Brady was forced to withdraw from the event. A replacement opponent in Josiah Harrell was found, but pre-fight medical testing revealed a rare brain disease, resulting in Harrell’s removal from the bout.
While competing at UFC 290 didn’t come to fruition for Della Maddalena, he decided to hang around Las Vegas in hopes that the promotion could find an opponent for the following event at UFC on ESPN 49. To his luck, the matchmakers came through.
Hafez (8-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is currently on a two-fight winning streak consisting of a split decision win over UFC veteran Anthony Ivy and a third-round knockout of Evan Cutts under the Fury FC banner.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 49 lineup includes:
- Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Albert Duraev vs. Junyong Park
- Walt Harris vs. Josh Parisian
- Chelsea Chandler vs. Norma Dumont
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Francisco Prado
- Terrance McKinney vs. Nazim Sadykhov
- Bassil Hafez vs. Jack Della Maddalena
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Tucker Lutz
- Viktoriya Dudakova vs. Istela Nunes
- Melquizael Costa vs. Austin Lingo
- Evan Elder vs. Genaro Valdez
- Azat Maksum vs. Tyson Nam
- Carl Deaton vs. Alexander Munoz
- Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ailin Perez
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
