At UFC 315, Belal Muhammad’s game plan was laid bare as Jack Della Maddalena dragged the former welterweight champion into deep waters. ‘JDM’s relentless striking was the magic that left Muhammad unable to defend, with each punch adding to the nightmare. The Aussie knew exactly what to do—and executed it flawlessly. Yet, credit where it’s due: Muhammad stayed true to his word, engaging Della Maddalena in a striking battle. Amidst this, Daniel Cormier has come forward to point out the flaw in Muhammad’s strategy.
During a conversation with his audience on his YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier admitted that he initially criticized Belal Muhammad for choosing to stand and strike. However, after watching the fight from the cageside, he realized that Muhammad had no other viable option.
“I was talking about Belal in the fight, saying he was fighting the wrong fight because he was standing and trading with Della Maddalena. But the reality is, I don’t think he had an option to do anything but stand and trade with Jack Della Maddalena because he looked that good.” He further added, “His[Jack Della Maddalena’s] right hand landed so many times over the course of this fight, and if Belal didn’t have such a great chin, he would have been put out.”
Daniel Cormier believes that Belal Muhammad had no weapons left in his arsenal to trade with the Aussie. If you remember correctly, ‘Remember The Name’ did attempt a few takedowns in the later rounds, but Della Maddalena managed to defend them successfully, despite facing some difficulties. In fact the first successful takedown for the former champion only came in round four.
‘JDM’s takedown defense was on point, and Cormier was impressed by it. In the end, ‘DC’ praised the Aussie, “I think what impressed me the most, still, outside of the takedown defense, was his willingness to fight.” It must be noted that Della Maddalena was exhausted in the later rounds, and his fatigue was evident. This led many within the community to call out Muhammad, asserting that if he had attempted some takedowns earlier and worn out the challenger, he could have successfully defended the title. Robert Whittaker even came forward to publicly claim the same.
MMA: UFC 315 – Muhammad v Della Maddalena May 10, 2025 Montreal, Quebec, CANADA Belal Muhammad red gloves fights Jack Della Maddalena blue gloves during UFC 315 at Bell Centre. Montreal Bell Centre Quebec CANADA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xEricxBoltex 20250510_jhp_bb5_0333
“I expected more takedowns. When he mixed in the striking to bring Jack onto it, to mix into his shots, they were clean every time. Now, why didn’t we see more of that?” Whittaker said of Muhammad’s takedowns. Could more takedowns from Muhammad have changed the flow of the fight? As per Della Maddalena, certainly not.
Jack Della Maddalena rips apart Belal Muhammad’s game plan
“Not really [surprised by his game plan],” Della Maddalena said about Muhammad at the UFC 315 post-fight press conference. During his fight against ‘JDM’, Belal Muhammad attempted 9 takedowns but successfully completed only three. In comparison, during his title bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 304, Muhammad attempted 13 takedowns and successfully completed nine.
Further ripping apart Muhammad’s game plan, Della Maddalena stated, “He was saying he wasn’t going to do takedowns, but I was expecting, I guess, an all-around offense. I guess you can never expect anything. You’ve just got to roll with it. I feel that’s what I did.”
‘Remember The Name’ did his best to come out on top against Della Maddalena, but the Aussie’s takedown defense was just too good. In a training clip released after the win, the Australian’s head coach could be seen saying how difficult it was to keep Jack down, even if you somehow managed to take him down. Interestingly, ‘JDM’s own game plan was thwarted by Muhammad at least for a bit. “The game plan was to stay off the fence,” Della Maddalena said. “Like, he does his best work on the fence. So I was trying to stay off the fence, but he was just walking down, pushing me up against the fence. I felt like every time he came in, I was able to hit him and then get off the fence.”
As the fog of war settles, we have a new champion ready to lead the division, with many more doors opening at 170 lbs. What do you think will happen next? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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