Belal Muhammad has no regrets following his recent defeat at the hands of Jack Della Maddalena.
Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was outpointed by the Australian in the main event at UFC 315 in Montreal earlier this month, losing his UFC welterweight title in his first fight since dethroning former champion Leon Edwards last July.
In a move that surprised many, “Remember the Name” chose to stand toe-to-toe with Della Maddalena for the majority of their five-round contest. Considering that his high-pressure wrestling had been a key component of his rise to the top of the welterweight division, Muhammad’s decision to abandon that strategy in such a high-stakes matchup raised eyebrows.
Reflecting on the fight this week, the former champion admitted he ignored the game plan set by his coaches—but said he's somewhat satisfied that he proved he can go strike-for-strike with one of the division’s best stand-up fighters.
"Obviously, for us, our strategy was to take down Jack, it wasn't to go blow for blow with him, brawl for brawl with him," Muhammad told Jason Anik this week on Remember the Show. “But man, it's a weird moment when you're training for something so much, and you're getting better at something, which I think my striking has grown so much. I always said it, and what I was saying in the lead up, I wasn't lying. I can box with him. I can strike with him. I'm not afraid to box with no one."
Della Maddalena won decisively on the scorecards, but Muhammad believes the fight was closer than many people think.
"I can strike with this guy and people tell me I can't go in there and strike with him," Muhammad said. "Obviously, we lost the fight, but we stood toe to toe, and people can say whatever they want to say. I went against the gameplan, and at the end of the day, I'm going to live with that. But it came down to one round, maybe one exchange that could've swayed the judges that way. So, was my gameplan wrong? It could've went the other way. Could it have been an easier fight? It could've, but at the end of the day, I love to fight."
After taking some time to lick his wounds, Muhammad is ready to get back to work and believes that he can re-enter the title discussion at 170 pounds.
"There's still room for improvement, and I'm going to use the fight and improve from it," Muhammad said. "I'm going to gain it again. I'm going to get my belt back. There's nothing that's going to stop me."
