At UFC 315, Belal Muhammad bit the bullet when he stepped into the Octagon against the Aussie Jack Della Maddalena. In the lead-up, ‘Remember The Name’ vowed to bring “Canelo hands” and stand toe-to-toe with the striker—and true to his word, he did just that. But at what cost? With just nine takedown attempts and only three successful, critics believe Muhammad’s decision to strike with Della Maddalena backfired. The loss has now opened the door for Islam Makhachev, who’s officially entered the welterweight mix with his sights set on the belt. Amidst the chaos, Muhammad has issued a chilling warning to the 170-pound division: this isn’t over.
After losing his battle to Geoff Neal back in 2019, Belal Muhammad understood that in order to earn a title shot, he would either have to become an entertaining fighter or rely on his wrestling to dominate his opponents, and he chose the latter. Since then, Muhammad went on a nine-fight winning streak before being offered a bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Against Edwards, ‘Remember The Name’ capitalized his wrestling to navigate through him and ultimately won the belt before losing it to Jack Della Maddalena.
So, is it over for the fighter? Let’s take a look at what Muhammad had to say! During a conversation with Jon Anik and Jason on ‘Remember The Show,’ the former welterweight champion acknowledged that while this is a setback, he understands it and is determined to come back stronger. “Keep continuing to do what they think I can’t do. I’m going to be the guy who gets the belt again. I’m gonna be the guy that… I’m one fight away from winning the belt. I’m one fight away from being there, man,” said Belal Muhammad, expressing his desire to make a comeback to the title scene.
Well, his words may reflect confidence, but we all know what Dana White wants for the division. The next title fight is certain to be between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, as Makhachev has already relinquished his lightweight title. We might see their fight by the end of the year (if all negotiations work out fine). If the Aussie wins, Muhammad could get his chance against him. However, if Makhachev wins, it might be the end of the road for Muhammad due to his close relationship with Team Khabib.
In addition, we all know how the UFC CEO feels about Muhammad. Giving him another chance at the belt might not be what the UFC is looking for, but for ‘Remember The Name’ to move forward, he will have to perform exceptionally well, just as he did during his first title run. So, who might be his next opponent? Rumors suggest that Shavkat Rakhmonov might fight Belal Muhammad in the coming months. However, Rakhmonov’s manager, Daniel Rubenstein, disregarded the claim.
Even UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik had a few words on the potential fight. He said, “I’m glad he has an undisputed welterweight championship belt at home, and I’m glad he’s married to the game. We’ll see what Shavkat Rakhmonov has for him in October. Belal vs. Shavkat in October, there’s your breaking news.” Initially, Muhammad was slated to face Rakhmonov for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 310 in December last year. But as fate would have it, an injury forced Muhammad off the card, and the 30-year-old went on to fight and beat Ian Machado Garry in a title eliminator bout.
But in the sports of combat, no fight is ruled out until Dana White says so. During the same conversation, Belal Muhammad revealed the grave mistake that he committed that cost him the belt. Let us have a look at it.
“I went against the game plan,” said Belal Muhammad about his UFC 315 performance
Despite being a wrestling-heavy fighter, Belal Muhammad tried to prove everyone wrong by striking against Jack Della Maddalena. This might have been a grave mistake, as many in the community believe he could have won the fight if he had relied more on his wrestling rather than striking. And guess what, Muhammad believes this as well.
During the same conversation on ‘Remember The Show,’ the 36-year-old added, “I think I have the best team in the world, some of the best coaches in the world, and we go into every fight with a strategy and idea of what we want to do. Obviously, for us, what our strategy was, was to take down Jack. It wasn’t to go blow-for-blow with him, brawl-for-brawl with him.”
He further added, “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.”
Belal Muhammad acknowledges the flaw in his game plan, but he believes his actions were necessary. Still, what are your thoughts on the controversy? Share your opinion in the comments below.
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