This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 315, the welterweight title was on the line. Belal Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC) was looking to defend his title against top contender Jack Della Maddalena (18-2).
Belal Muhammad entered the octagon as the betting favorite and I thought it was for a good reason. The last time we saw Della Maddalena, he struggled with the grappling of Gilbert Burns and it took a come from behind TKO win to beat Burns last year. Muhammad excels with his pressure and mixing in his wrestling so I thought he was a clear favorite.
However, one thing that concerned me ahead of UFC 315 is Muhammad’s new fascination with his boxing. He always mentions that he has boxing like Canelo and I was hoping for his sake that he would use his boxing to setup his grappling. However, for the first half of the fight, he seemed content with just trading with JDM.
By the time he started looking for takedowns, he was already taking some serious damage on the feet. Now, Muhammad held his own, but it just felt like he dug himself into a hole with his slow start. That said, entering the fifth round, two judges still had the fight even so if Muhammad won that round, he would’ve retained his title. Instead, he got hurt multiple times on the feet and JDM won a decision to become the UFC welterweight champion.
What’s next after UFC 315?
One thing I think people need to admit after this fight is that Belal Muhammad is not a boring fighting. He had that reputation given many of his fights earlier in his career, however, he’s turned himself into a very exciting welterweight and I think fans should show him respect.
With this loss, Muhammad is still the number one contender in the welterweight division and I don’t think it’ll take much for him to earn another shot at the title. He did suffer quite a few injuries in the main event, but once he’s healthy, I think the UFC will give him a very big fight.
One option I’d really look at is the winner of the Kamaru Usman – Joaquin Buckley fight depending on the results. Should Kamaru Usman win, I think it’s perfect for Usman and Muhammad to settle their beef inside the octagon. If Joaquin Buckley wins, I think Buckley might get paired with Ian Machado Garry unless Garry is paired with Sean Brady.
With Islam Makhachev likely getting the next shot at JDM, I also wouldn’t mind seeing Muhammad face off with Shavkat Rakhmonov. These two were supposed to fight for the title in December before Muhammad got hurt. Then the UFC tried to book that fight for last Saturday, but Rakhmonov’s injury gave the shot to JDM. Muhammad – Rakhmonov could be another solid matchup to watch out for.