Belal Muhammad has faced increasing criticism regarding the strategy he employed in his loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, a fight where he challenged for the welterweight title.
Leading up to the event, Muhammad had often spoken about showcasing his boxing, stating he wanted to prove his “Canelo hands” could stand up to anyone, including knockout artist Della Maddalena. Historically, Muhammad relied on exceptional wrestling and relentless pressure to dominate opponents. However, despite attempting nine takedowns during the bout, his overall strategy against the Australian striker is facing significant backlash.
UFC veteran Matt Brown strongly disputes the idea that Muhammad`s defeat was primarily due to a flawed game plan, arguing that such a perspective ignores Della Maddalena`s effective performance in neutralizing Muhammad.
“It`s almost an irrelevant question because his game plan didn`t matter,” Brown stated. “Jack had an answer for everything he tried.”
“Certainly, if you`re in Belal`s corner, you might review things and think about alternative strategies,” Brown continued. “However, it`s difficult to see how a different approach would have altered the outcome significantly. Facing Jack Della Maddalena presents substantial challenges that require extensive rethinking for Belal.”
As the fight unfolded predominantly as a stand-up battle, Della Maddalena capitalized on his superior boxing, reach, and power to win key exchanges. Although Muhammad had brief successes, he struggled to connect with significant strikes, and Della Maddalena clearly inflicted more damage with his connections.
Regarding the wrestling aspect, Brown quickly notes that Muhammad didn`t abandon his takedown attempts; rather, Della Maddalena consistently thwarted every effort to take the fight to the ground.
“Jack`s takedown defense was impressive,” Brown commented. “Even if Belal managed to get him down, he immediately scrambled back up, seemingly every time. I don`t recall Belal maintaining top control for any notable duration. Della Maddalena utilized clever techniques, like hip-toss-like movements, to create distance and was highly effective at avoiding being trapped against the cage.”
“We generally assumed,” Brown added, “that even if Belal couldn`t get takedowns, he would likely pin Della Maddalena against the cage for much of the fight, resulting in a very dull contest. That seemed to be the common expectation, not just mine. But that`s not how it unfolded.”
Brown contends that any criticism directed at Muhammad`s performance should focus more on his striking strategy against Della Maddalena than on an alleged lack of wrestling.
Muhammad appeared to prioritize his boxing, a choice Brown saw as potentially disastrous against a striker as skilled and powerful as Della Maddalena.
“Belal seemed to engage in purely boxing exchanges more than I would have preferred,” Brown commented. “In my opinion, he should have incorporated more kicks or teeps to mix things up and manage distance. We know Jack is an excellent, technical boxer who looks superb when trading punches.”
“That`s the least effective way to face him, whether you plan to stand or wrestle,” Brown asserted. “Even if you intend to stand for some rounds, you shouldn`t just box a pure boxer. I would have preferred Belal to adopt a more Muay Thai or kickboxing approach. Simply trying to outbox a boxer doesn`t seem logical to me.”
Ultimately, Brown speculates whether Della Maddalena simply represents a stylistic challenge that Muhammad couldn`t overcome, regardless of his strategy.
Brown has observed throughout the history of combat sports that fighters sometimes encounter opponents who are simply unfavorable stylistic matchups they cannot conquer. While it`s impossible to definitively state this was the case for Muhammad at UFC 315, Brown feels the evidence suggests this was a significant factor.
“Belal certainly has lessons to take from this fight,” Brown commented. “There are areas he can analyze and potentially improve. However, I`m unsure if those improvements will ever be sufficient to defeat Jack given how their fight unfolded. Sometimes, the fundamental matchup itself is the insurmountable obstacle. The reality is, Jack had a flawless game plan and executed it exceptionally throughout the fight.”
“I`m not certain Belal could have done anything to win against Jack that night,” he concluded. “And I question if he can do anything to defeat Jack in any potential future encounter.”
