Jack Della Maddalena may not be American, but he can definitely take the name ‘The Italian Stallion’ this weekend in New York. The welterweight champion will be taking on the big bad Russian, Islam Makhachev, this weekend at UFC 322. This is a fight for the ages, and all eyes are glued to the Madison Square Garden main event. But…

Ahead of the fight, much of the curiosity has shifted to Jack Della Maddalena’s identity. His Italian real name, to be specific. The man from Down Under has fought under several promotional banners over his career, but this appears to have eluded fans. So, here’s everything you need to know about Maddalena’s real name.

Jack Della Maddalena’s real name revealed

People may know him as Jack Della Maddalena, but as it turns out, ‘Jack’ isn’t actually his real name. Instead, it’s the English adaptation of his deep Italian roots. Though Della Maddalena is an Aussie by upbringing—born in Perth—his heritage runs straight through Sardinia, where his grandfather was born.

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And that heritage comes with a very Italian name: Giacomo Della Maddalena. Fans were stunned when the revelation surfaced online a few months ago before his maiden UFC title fight. One Reddit user, @GissurSteinn, sparked the discussion by posting, “TDIL Jack Della Maddalena’s real name isn’t Jack. His real name is Giacomo, which is probably just Jack in Italian.”

His name in Italian, ‘Giacomo Della Maddalena,’  translates to ‘Jacob of the Magdalene.’ Della Maddalena is an Italian surname meaning ‘of the Magdalene,’ as in Mary of Magdalene. Giacomo in Italian comes from the Hebrew Ya’akov (Jacob).

The timing of the discovery only fueled more excitement, as Della Maddalena was preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in Quebec, Canada. The Aussie, of course, ended up defeating Muhammad to become the new UFC welterweight champion. Regardless, Della Maddalena, or ‘JDM’ for short, isn’t his only name. 

How ‘3-Name Jack’ Nickname Came Up for JDM

Della Maddalena earned the nickname ‘3-Name Jack’ after his third-round knockout of Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 in March 2024. The moniker quickly caught fire on social media, where fans highlighted his full name—Jack Della Maddalena—as a distinctive three-part construction in a sport where most fighters are known by just two names. But who came up with it?

According to Jon Anik, the nickname didn’t just appear out of thin air. On the Anik & Florian Podcast, he clarified that there was a specific creator behind it. As Anik explained, “You can’t always say Della Maddalena, so Brian Petrie came up with ‘3-Name Jack.’ And I don’t know if you saw this, but I call him ‘3-Name Jack’ and Chael Sonnen later acknowledges that.” 

He added, “I didn’t have a chance to pay that off on those airwaves, that the originator of that outstanding nickname ‘3-Name Jack’ is none other than Brian Petrie.”

Having said that, Jack Della Maddalena didn’t just see his profile rise in the UFC; his list of nicknames also appears to have expanded. Perhaps if he can beat Islam Makhachev on Saturday night, he will have another for beating the best grapplers. What do you think it should be?