Belal Muhammad Has Boastful Warning for the Welterweight Division
On February 26, Belal Muhammad took the stage with Jack Della Maddalena for a press conference to promote their upcoming fight. They will face off on May 10 at UFC 315 in Montreal, QC, Canada for the undisputed Welterweight Championship. In typical fashion, Muhammad was all confidence. This is expected as the fighters enter promotion mode over the next 2 months.
Belal in particular is no stranger to banter; he seems to genuinely exult in it. At the press conference, he even gave a fist bump to fellow defending champion Valentina Shevchenko after she delivered a line of trash-talk that he particularly enjoyed. However, he had especially strong words for JDM and the whole Welterweight division, including the claim that he is the best striker at 170 lbs, full stop.
Bold Words from Bully B
When a reporter asked Belal Muhammad if he would be able to keep the fight standing against Jack Della Maddalena, the champ seemed borderline offended, saying the true question was whether JDM could weather his superior boxing.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Shavkat, Leon, Jack, they’re all gonna lose because I’m the best in the world. I’m the best striker in the Welterweight division, I’m the best grappler, I’m the best wrestler, I’m the best fighter. I’m gonna make it look easy on May 10th. He’s coming out of the kiddie pool and he’s going straight into the deep end of the ocean. This is gonna be a bad night for him, and you guys are gonna see it May 10th.”
It’s an aggressive stance from Muhammad, especially regarding his striking. While he has typically been sharp with his boxing, he is feared primarily as a wrestler. His strikes and constant forward pressure often seem to be mere tools to transition into his grueling volume grappling. The smart money is on this proving true at UFC 315 as well, though perhaps the champion will take the opportunity to prove a point to Della Maddalena and the fans.
JDM Responds to Muhammad’s Diatribe
When asked for his thoughts on all of this, challenger Jack Della Maddalena stood in stark contrast, offering a measured reply: “We’ll see what happens.”
In a way, this nod to uncertainty seems fitting. JDM is a fantastic fighter and has not lost since his second professional bout in 2016. He’s thoroughly earned this opportunity on the strength of 17 consecutive wins, with the last 7 coming in the UFC. However, Belal Muhammad represents a serious step up in competition for the Aussie. Before his last fight, he was ranked outside of the top 10 at Welterweight.
A gritty KO victory over Gilbert Burns catapulted him to #4, but Burns is the only top-10 opponent he’s faced. JDM was scheduled to square off with former champion Leon Edwards for a presumptive #1 Contender fight, but when Belal Muhammad’s original opponent for UFC 315 withdrew due to injury, Della Maddalena received a massive opportunity to skip this last step and charge the throne. It’s a huge test, and a perfect opportunity to prove his mettle and seize UFC gold.
We’ll have to wait a couple of months to see what transpires in “the deep end of the ocean.” According to Belal Muhammad, we’ll see someone drown: and it won’t be him.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
