Tag: Belal Muhammad

Carlos Prates: Jack Della Maddalena won’t be a ‘hard fight’ for Belal Muhammad at UFC 315

Carlos Prates doesn’t see Jack Della Maddalena being a stern test for UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] as a stern test for UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his welterweight title against Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) May 10 in the UFC 315 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Surging contender Prates confidently predicts a Muhammad win.

“I think Belal’s going to win,” Prates told Home of Fight. “Jack Della Maddalena looks like a good fighter, but he fought one time Kevin Holland and he won by split decision. Then he fought another guy, I don’t remember the name, he’s not even anymore in the UFC, and then he fought Gilbert Burns and he was losing the fight, and in the last minute he won the fight.

“OK, it’s good but only his good win is against Gilbert Burns, and Belal Muhammad has been beating a lot of guys really good. I would like to see Jack Della Maddalena as a champ because he’s striker and things like that, but I think Belal Muhammad’s going to win. It’s not going to be a hard fight.”

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After four knockouts and four Performance of the Night bonuses to kick off his octagon tenure, Fighting Nerds’ Prates (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to emerge as a top contender when he takes on Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) April 26 in the UFC on ESPN 66 main event at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

Kamaru Usman: Belal Muhammad’s trash talk ‘not far’ from Colby Covington’s

Kamaru Usman thinks UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is nearing Colby Covington territory with his trash talk.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is nearing [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] territory with his trash talk.

That’s quite the statement from former champion Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC), considering that Covington has gone after his father’s troubled past in the build-up of their title fights. Usman was pointing to Muhammad’s dig at UFC 315 opponent Jack Della Maddalena.

“Just when I was gonna donate to your fundraiser so your coaches can come …enjoy spirit airlines.”

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is referring to the rumor that emerged about Della Maddalena needing a fundraiser to fly the rest of his coaching staff to Montreal, Quebec, Canada for his title fight on May 10. That rumor was later debunked as a misunderstanding.

Either way, Usman was critical of Muhammad’s way with words.

“I don’t think that’s very Muslim-esque,” Usman said of Muhammad on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Cejudo. “We don’t care about that. It is what it is. This is a guy who really is, for as much as you say you don’t like Covington for what Covington did to get to the top of the division and how he talks to people, you’re not far from it right now.

“And I think a lot of fans see that, and a lot of fans understand that as well, but it is what it is. At least these two guys are going to be able to step in there and actually settle it, so I’m excited for that.”

Usman’s dislike for Muhammad stems from an alleged scuffle that they had when Muhammad came on as a guest on his podcast. The episode never aired, but Usman’s co-host Henry Cejudo confirmed that things got physical between the two.

“I almost got kicked,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “Punches were thrown, and I had a messed-up ankle at that time. So Kamaru Usman and Belal, Belal was kicking me to my head, dude. Luckily I did a little slip. But it was definitely Rated R.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

Jack Della Maddalena: ‘Fair play’ to UFC champ Belal Muhammad for ‘boring fight style’

Jack Della Maddalena isn’t the biggest fan of UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad’s fighting style.

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] isn’t the biggest fan of UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s fighting style.

Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) challenges Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the welterweight title May 10 in the UFC 315 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In what is dubbed as a striker vs. grappler matchup on paper, Della Maddalena criticized Muhammad’s style but admitted it’s effective.

“It’s no question he’s got a boring fight style,” Della Maddalena told Fox Sports Australia. “He’s good at holding people down, getting victories, but fair play to him. (Georges St-Pierre) got some flack back in the day for being a boring style, and it’s just because he’s better than people across the board. He can hold down the strikers and outstrike the grapplers, that sort of thing.

“So, we’ve got to give him credit. I definitely think it’s a boring style, but I think winning is obviously his No. 1 goal and fair play to him, but I feel like I can beat him. I’m a more dangerous fighter for sure, and I think I cannot only get the world title, but get the world title off a dominant finish with style points for sure.”

Della Maddalena was taken down seven times and controlled for more than five minutes in his come-from-behind knockout win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, which has resulted in oddsmakers pitting him as a moderate underdog.

“I got some practice with that against Gilbert Burns,” Della Maddalena said. “And I feel like in the three-round fight, I was able to continuously get back to my feet and cook him. Like a good-old jiu-jitsu match, cook him and then get the finish later in the fight, and I feel like having five rounds I believe will be to my advantage. I believe I will be able to continuously get back to my feet and sting Belal. Having those extra two rounds to damage him, I think it works well for me. I’m going to keep pushing until the final bell.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

Colby Covington: UFC 315 headliners Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena ‘don’t draw flies to sh*t’

Colby Covington sees Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena doing low numbers at UFC 315.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] sees [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] doing low numbers at UFC 315.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his welterweight title against Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the May 10 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) took aim at the star power of both headliners.

“I see that bout really boring the fans,” Covington said in an interview with Tim Welch. “I feel bad for the fans that that’s what they get for a title fight. That’s just piss poor, and two losers in the sport that don’t draw flies to sh*t.”

Covington is no longer in the title picture after back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and Joaquin Buckley. He is not short of options with the likes of Themba Gorimbo, Michael Chiesa, and Michael Page calling him out, but the former interim welterweight champion is only eyeing big fights.

“Anybody that has that big name (is who I want next),” Covington said. “Big fights, wherever the biggest and best fights that I can get done for the UFC, that’s what I want to do. We’ve got to see how things are going. There are a couple of people who have been running my name through their mouths, so they can get their mouth shut for sure. But I’ve got to see what the UFC wants to do.

“I want legacy fights, big fights, former champions, big, high-level fights – not guys that are just coming up and just starting to build their name because I’ve been here, I’ve done that, I’m a world champion. It doesn’t matter what my ranking is. I’m the champion of the division. I’m the biggest draw, and I’m the biggest star in the division. So anytime I fight, it’s a championship fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

UFC London winner Sean Brady: I beat Leon Edwards better than champion Belal Muhammad did

Sean Brady took Belal Muhammad’s blueprint and one-upped him at UFC Fight Night 255.

LONDON – [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] took [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s blueprint and one-upped him at UFC Fight Night 255.

Brady (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) dominated former welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) on the ground then submitted him with a guillotine choke in Round 4 of Saturday’s main event at The O2 in London.

Muhammad outgrappled Edwards to become champion at UFC 304, but wasn’t able to finish him. Brady thinks becoming the first to stop Edwards should account for something.

“That’s how you beat Leon. The blueprint was kind of written in a lot of his fights, and I just did a lot better than I think anyone else has been able to do it,” Brady told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the post-fight news conference.

“Even when he shot on me – Leon’s a very technical fighter, but when you make it a real hard fight, he tends to break. I could see he was breaking, and I knew he broke once he shot on me because that’s the last place he would want to be is on the ground with me. So once I knew he wanted to grapple with me, I knew it was going to be over soon.”

After the fight, Muhammad posted on X that Brady copied his homework. Brady reminded Muhammad that he was able to do something to Edwards that he couldn’t.

“I think I did a lot better than Belal did,” Brady said. “I think Belal lost a couple of rounds. He had his back taken for an entire round. I think it was 3-2 when they fought? I dominated Leon every round. No one’s ever did it like me. And then I submitted him and made him quit in front of his hometown. If we were in Philly, you ain’t making me quit in front of my hometown, I’ll tell you that. I’m going to sleep, son. So just remember that.”

Brady is open to weighing in as a backup for Muhammad’s first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena May 10 at UFC 315. Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) sees Shavkat Rakhmonov as most worthy of a title shot since their UFC 310 title fight fell through, but Brady thinks his resume may just be better.

“If you look at the people I’ve been beating vs. Shavkat, I think I have a pretty good – Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards, my last two vs. his last two, (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson) and Ian Garry – I’ve got a nice little record going,” Brady said. “But I just want to keep adding names to my resume and we’ll see what happens.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

Leon Edwards’ coach laments early morning title loss to Belal Muhammad: ‘It’s a bitter pill to swallow’

“Belal caught Leon on a very, very low night, and he came out the winner, and that’s the way it is.”

[autotag]Dave Lovell[/autotag] insists we didn’t see nearly the best version of [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] when he fought [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] at UFC 304.

Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) lost his welterweight title to Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) by unanimous decision last July. Edwards reiterated his discontent with having to fight in the middle of the night in Manchester to cater to the U.S. pay-per-view time, which he says heavily impacted his performance.

His head coach agrees.

“There were some major factors leading up to the fight, forget the minor injury apart,” Lovell said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”. “In England, when have you ever heard of a sportsman performing 6 o’clock in the morning? It’s never been heard of before, and no doubt you’ll never hear of it again.

“It was just a freaky moment in time, and Leon had to deal with it. To lose to Belal in the fashion he lost to him, the world knows he’s a lot better than that. We know. Most and foremost, he knows he’s better than that. Yeah, it was a major setback, but we’re on the road back to gold. What more can I say to that?”

Edwards will look to rebound when he takes on Sean Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 255 (ESPN+) main event at The O2 in London. The loss to Muhammad snapped Edwards’ 13-fight unbeaten streak.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I take nothing from Belal,” Lovell said. “He won, he waited his time like Leon did, so let him make the most of it. Fair play to him, but it’s a bitter pill for me to swallow for the simple fact of how Leon lost it, the lackluster effort for whatever reason because we all know that was, what, 30, 35, 40 percent of Leon Edwards that night?”

Brady was not Edwards’ original opponent. Edwards was slated to face Jack Della Maddalena, but Della Maddalena was pulled to challenge Muhammad for the belt May 10 at UFC 315.

Did Lovell think Edwards should have gotten the call instead?

“It’s like, he’s just held the title, he’s lost it, and maybe it’s going to be a bit unusual for him to get the call to fight back for the title straight away,” Lovell admitted. “That’s very rare you hear that happen. But why not?

“Because I know he can beat Belal, he knows he can beat Belal, I think Belal knows he can beat him. Belal caught Leon on a very, very low night, and he came out the winner, and that’s the way it is. There’s nothing you can say or do about that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

Leon Edwards breaks down Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315

Leon Edwards can see Jack Della Maddalena upsetting Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] upsetting [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] at UFC 315.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his welterweight title against Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the May 10 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) lost his welterweight title to Muhammad by unanimous decision at UFC 304 but thinks Della Maddalena has the style to beat the champion.

“If I had to put money on it, I’d probably favor JDM,” Edwards said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I feel like JDM, his boxing is what will probably shut him (Muhammad) down, and he’s a good anti-grappler, JDM.

“It’s easy to take him down, but his scrambles on the floor are good. I feel like Belal won’t be enough to hold him down for that long. So, maybe JDM if I had to put money on it.”

Edwards admits the sight of seeing Muhammad as champion irks him.

“He said if he lost (at UFC 304) he would’ve retired,” Edwards said of Muhammad. “I wish this guy f*cking retired because he’s annoying. It doesn’t look right on him, the belt.”

Edwards will look to re-enter the title picture when he takes on Sean Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 255 (ESPN+) main event at The O2 in London.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

Belal Muhammad: ‘I’m not going to shoot one takedown’ on Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315

Belal Muhammad has made a bold claim ahead of UFC 315.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] has made a bold claim ahead of UFC 315.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his welterweight title against [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the May 10 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Muhammad outstruck Leon Edwards, and took him down nine times when he dethroned him at UFC 304. He’s confident that he can go toe-toe-toe against Della Maddalena’s sharp hands – for the entire fight.

”I’m going to go in there, I’m going to outbox Jack,” Muhammad said on “The Coach And The Casual” podcast. “I’m not going to shoot one takedown, and I’m going to show him the meaning of Canelo hands. I’m going to show the UFC fighters, the fans, that I’m the best boxer in the UFC, the best boxer in the welterweight division.”

Muhammad acknowledges that he has a grappling advantage over Della Maddalena, but knows he won’t be easy to keep down.

“I think I can take him down, but for me, I don’t like to underestimate guys,” Muhammad said. “He’s had fights where guys took him down, but he keeps going. Even that last fight with Gilbert Burns, I thought he was losing up until that last 30 seconds, so it tells me he has heart. He’s never going to quit or give up on himself even if he gets taken down.

“I’ve got to be ready to go a hard pace and be ready for him to match it. I think he gets a lot of guys because he pressures them, but the difference is, when you’re going against another pressure fighter that gives more pressure than you, then you’re going to have to back up. Then you can’t really box going backwards.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 315.

Belal Muhammad: Dana White apologized for missing Palestinian flag, ensured addition to profile

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad says Dana White apologized for the absence of a Palestinian flag on his fighter profile.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s request to add the Palestine flag to his fighter profile has been heard.

Soon after Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was officially announced to fight Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315, some fans online began to notice that the champ was the only fighter on the promotion’s website for the event not to have his country and flag represented.

On Thursday, Muhammad posted a video to social media, publicly requesting that UFC CEO Dana White address the issue. A day later, Muhammad said White told him he would take care of it, ensuring the Palestine flag was added to his UFC profile.

“I just want to give a quick shoutout to Dana,” Muhammad said in a video posted online. “I talked to him, he said the flag’s back up tonight. (He) apologized, and that’s why I love the UFC. I love this company, and that’s why Dana’s the man. The only organization that lets you be yourself. And true to his word, and doesn’t let other people sway his attitude or what he’s going to do. So, shout out to Dana. Shout out to the UFC. Flag is back, baby.”

 

At the time of writing, the Palestine flag which was previously absent, has been added to Muhammad’s profile. The promotion banned flags in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war, but White ended that policy in October 2023.

Muhammad has proudly represented his Palestinian heritage throughout his fighing career. He has often draped the flag over his shoulders for ceremonial weigh-ins and is vocal in his support for his people amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Belal Muhammad asks Dana White to rectify Palestine flag absence from UFC profile

“Dana said he’s all about free speech,” Belal Muhammad pointed out, in a video addressing how the Palestine flag is missing from his UFC profile.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] wants the Palestine flag represented on his UFC profile.

Days after fans began discussing the absence of a flag next to his picture on the promotion’s website, Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) publicly asked the promotion to rectify the absence.

“People keep asking me, ‘Where’s your flag?’ I kept getting multiple messages from it, and I was assuming it was a mistake, but it’s still not addressed,” Muhammad said in a video posted on social media Thursday. “So I’ll address it and hope that Dana addresses it as well and fixes it, because Dana said he’s all about free speech. He’s all about people supporting who they want to support and not muting or silencing anybody. I’m hoping that the UFC fixes this issue and puts my flag next to my name so the people that I represent, the people that I fight for, and the people that I train for, will see their flag.”

Born in Chicago, Muhammad has deep family ties to Palestine and has proudly represented his heritage throughout his career. In the midst of the war in Gaza, Muhammad has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine and its people.

All of the other 21 fighters competing alongside Muhammad at UFC 315 on May 10 have flags next to their names. Of the dozens of bouts listed on the promotion’s upcoming schedule, two other fighters do not have flags: Ateba Gautier (of Cameroon) and Ahmad Hassanzada (of Afghanistan). Both are pending debutants.

The promotion instated a flag ban in 2022, after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war, but White announced the end of the policy in October 2023. At the time of publication, it’s unclear why the flag is not listed.

“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything,” White said. “When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.”

Muhammad, 37, will return to action May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada when he attempts to defend his title vs. rising contender Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC). The bout serves as the event’s headliner.