Belal Muhammad is riding high just days before his first welterweight title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. The pay-per-view main event, set for Bell Centre in Ontario, Canada, will feature two fighters who haven’t lost in years.
Maddalena began his professional MMA career with two losses and is now on a 17-fight winning streak dating back to 2016. Muhammad hasn’t lost since 2019, when he fell to Geoff Neal. Since then, he’s gone unbeaten in 11 fights, with 10 wins and one no-contest.
What Did Belal Muhammad Say About His Upcoming Fight Against Jack Della Maddalena?
Despite criticism from some MMA fans for his decision-heavy win style, Muhammad has earned praise from legends of the game. Georges St-Pierre, arguably the greatest welterweight ever, recently applauded Muhammad’s fighting approach.
Muhammad appeared on TNT Sports with Adam Catterall and Nick Peet, where he shared his thoughts on facing Maddalena.
“Jack’s never fought anybody like me. He’s never been in that type of predicament where a guy’s a better striker than him, but then I could also take you down at will. And there is no plan B for him. He only has one plan: A is to box and win that way and think that this is really the path to victory,” Muhammad said.
The 36-year-old believes he can handle Maddalena in every aspect of the fight game—and boldly claimed he’s even the better striker.
Having halted the long win streaks of both Leon Edwards and Sean Brady in the past, Muhammad is confident he can do the same to Maddalena.
“Once they run into this wall, they don’t know what to do with it, right? I can tell you, these guys—they could be on a 30-fight win streak—but they never fought anybody like me. They never felt the pressure that I bring. They never felt the energy that I bring. And I think a lot of these guys, after the fight, they realize it’s different. I’m a different animal,” Muhammad said.
“Remember the Name” also promised that Maddalena would figure that out within the first 30 to 40 seconds of the fight.
Belal Muhammad Gives His Prediction for UFC 315 Title Fight Against Jack Della Maddalena
Muhammad predicted a dominant performance in his UFC 315 title defense.
“He’s going to have to sit there and think of a plan B. There is going to be no plan B. He’s going to have to pull guard and hope that some of that Craig Jones butt-scooting will help him, but it’s not. I’m going to break him, I’m going to fold him—he’s going to go down at three,” Muhammad said.
Maddalena last fought at UFC 299, where he knocked out Gilbert Burns in the third round. He was originally scheduled to face Leon Edwards at UFC London, but the promotion pulled him once Shavkat Rakhmonov—its first choice for a title challenger—was unable to recover in time for UFC 315.