Former UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena has revealed that he’s taking some time out to work on his skill-set before getting back into the Octagon.

The 30-year-old Maddalena had been rumored for a return early next year, but it seems that it’ll be a few months later than that before he’s ready to fight again.

“I feel like the last one, I sort of just jumped into the Perth fight because I kinda had to,” Maddalena told Bedtime MMA. “So I didn’t wanna get sucked in too early.

“My plan after the last fight was develop the skills, become a better martial artist. So I didn’t wanna get just jump to the location, you know?

“I wanted to give the best performance for the fans, for the team. So just gonna ride it out a bit, but ready to go April, May next year.”

So that rules out JDM fighting in his own backyard in Australia on February 7th, and it seems like the idea of fighting overseas appeals to him at this stage.

“I do like traveling for fights,” Maddalena said. “It is obviously awesome fighting in Australia. You get the whole crowd backing, but I feel definitely less pressure fighting elsewhere.”

Maddalena went on an eight-fight winning streak in the UFC to win the 170lb title before his current back-to-back defeats against Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates.

However, JDM believes that by further developing his skill-set he can return to action better than ever.

“My best performances in front of me, so this isn’t the end,” Maddalena stated. “This is just another speed bump that we’re getting up from.”