Della Maddalena: I'll 'shock the world' vs. 'James Bond villain' Rakhmonov

UFC welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena has high expectations for a potential fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Della Maddalena has pursued Rakhmonov for over a year and called him out after a UFC 299 win over Gilbert Burns on March 9 in Miami. This week, Della Maddalena told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that he believes it would be "the biggest title eliminator fight to go down in the UFC."

"I think (the UFC knows) it's inevitable, to be honest," Della Maddalena said of a fight with Rakhmonov. "I think they're trying to make it happen at the right time, and my thoughts are this is the right time."

"He's like a James Bond villain, so I'm happy to be James Bond," Della Maddalena added.

Rakhmonov, the No. 3-ranked contender at 170 pounds, showed interest in facing Della Maddalena after the callout. Della Maddalena knocked out Burns in a come-from-behind victory to move up to No. 5 in the division.

"I thought that was the perfect response from him," Della Maddalena said. "I don't know how this thing works, but I think it's on."

Della Maddalena broke his forearm in the Burns fight and will undergo surgery this week, and Rakhmonov is recovering from an injury of his own after submitting Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson at UFC 296 last December. Della Maddalena, who fights out of Perth, Australia, said a fight in August would make sense.

Rakhmonov is 18-0 as a pro - with seven wins in the UFC - and has a 100% finish rate. The Kazakh has beaten the likes of Thompson, Geoff Neal, and Neil Magny. Meanwhile, Della Maddalena is 7-0 in the promotion and on a 17-fight winning streak overall. Though Rakhmonov is one of the most talented and feared fighters in the division, Della Maddalena is confident he would get the job done.

"I think I finish him," Della Maddalena said. "I think I go in there and shock the world. A lot of people count me out, but I reckon I can spark him and then get the title shot."