Jack Della Maddalena to Meet Newcomer Bassil Hafez at UFC on ESPN 49

Jack Della Maddalena has a fight — it’s just a week later than originally expected.

The surging welterweight prospect will square off against Bassil Hafez at UFC on ESPN 49 on Saturday. Ariel Helwani initially reported the 170-pound booking via Twitter, and it was subsequently confirmed by Hafez via social media.

Maddalena had two opponents fall through at UFC 290. First, Sean Brady withdrew from the fight due to septic bursitis in his elbow. Then, short-notice replacement Josiah Harrell was pulled from the card after weigh-ins after being diagnosed with moyamoya disease, a rare brain disorder. The 26-year-old Maddalena has won 14 consecutive outings, including four straight first-round finishes in UFC competition. Most recently, he submitted Randy Brown in the opening stanza at UFC 284 on Feb. 11.

Hafez, 31, has won four of his last five professional appearances. He is coming off a third-round knockout of Evan Cutts at Fury FC 75 to claim the promotion’s welterweight title.

UFC on ESPN 49 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a women’s bantamweight showdown pitting Holly Holm against Mayra Bueno Silva.