Belal Muhammad claims he went against the game plan in loss to Jack Della Maddalena
UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad claims he went against the game plan in his UFC 315 defeat to Jack Della Maddalena.
In the main event of UFC 315, Belal Muhammad attempted to successfully defend the UFC welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena. In what proved to be a far more entertaining fight than anyone had anticipated, it was the Australian who was able to get the upper hand. In the end, he was the one to also get his hand raised in victory, leaving Montreal with the belt.
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For a lot of people, there was surprise that Muhammad wasn’t really able to implement his wrestling game in the way he wanted. He had some limited success with takedowns but was largely shut down by JDM, even though Belal certainly held his own during their exchanges on the feet.
In a recent interview, Muhammad was more than happy to own up to his mistakes.
Muhammad discusses JDM defeat
“You know how they say there’s a different energy when you’re a champion and you’re getting 20 percent better, for me, I always thought I was the best in the world,” Muhammad said. “I still think I’m the best in the world. I was like, ‘Bro, I can strike with this guy. People are telling me I can’t strike with him.’ Obviously, we lost the fight, but we stood toe-to-toe with him. People can say whatever they want to say and do whatever they want to do, I went against the game plan, I went on my own, and at the end of the day, I’m going to live with that.
“But it came down to one round, maybe one exchange that could’ve swayed the judges one way, so was my game plan wrong? I could’ve went the other way. Could it have been an easier fight? It could’ve, but at the end of the day, I love to fight.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
