RUMOR Rakhmonov vs. Della Maddalena reported for Jan. 30 in Dallas; UFC has not confirmed

A fight that would end a long layoff for one of the sport's last unbeaten contenders has surfaced, but with a problem attached. MMA Sucka reports that Shavkat Rakhmonov will meet Jack Della Maddalena on Jan. 30 in Dallas. The UFC has said nothing, and the date collides with UFC 336, which the promotion has already announced for Scotiabank Arena in Toronto that night. Nothing in the report explains how a Dallas card fits on the same date.

For Rakhmonov, the booking would be overdue. He is 19-0 and has not competed in 2026. TSN's Aaron Bronsteter noted on X that the unbeaten ranks have thinned: Movsar Evloev and Ilia Topuria both lost and Farid Basharat was released, leaving Rakhmonov and Michael Morales, both 19-0, on his list of fighters with 15 or more wins. Our records list Rakhmonov as a 32-year-old welterweight from Uzbekistan.

Della Maddalena arrives off a hard stretch. He lost the welterweight title to Islam Makhachev by unanimous decision at UFC 322 on Nov. 15, 2025, then was stopped by Carlos Prates in the third round earlier this year. A win over an unbeaten opponent would reset his year in one night.

The fight would sit beside a messy title picture. Makhachev passed on a January defense, and the UFC responded with an interim belt: Prates fights Morales for it at UFC 336 on Jan. 30, with the winner promised Makhachev, targeted for May to July. Dana White was blunt about the champion's pace. "Islam fights like once a year," he told reporters.

If the Rakhmonov booking holds, it would put an undefeated welterweight on the same night as the interim title fight, and the winner would have a case for the next shot. That depends on the UFC confirming a bout, a venue and a date that works. Watch for an official announcement, or for the report to quietly change.