Having claimed earlier this week how he plans to retire Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Jack Della Maddalena seems to have already walked back those comments.
Della Maddalena, who finds himself the fortunate party in this welterweight title picture, features for gold for the first time in his Octagon run.
Replacing an injury-stricken Shavkat Rakhmonov, the Perth native has been brash about his chances of actually toppling the newly-instated champion. Sidelined since April of last year, the Australian finished former title challenger Gilbert Burns, with a rallying knee knockout on that occasion. And with the triumph, managed to keep his promotional-perfect run firmly intact.
However, this week, the surging striker laid out a massive gauntlet to Muhammad, vowing to brutally retire him when they finally share the Octagon this weekend at UFC 315 in ‘The Great White North’.
“I think he’s in for a rude awakening,” Della Maddalena said during a UFC 315: Embedded episode released this week. “I’ll break him with strikes, physically break him. He’s had a good run in the UFC. It’s retirement time, buddy,” he warned.
“I’m going to try and finish him dominantly, you know, that would be the way I’d like it to go down,” Jack Della Maddalena said. “Dominant finish and then, yeah, that’s up to him at that point what’s next for him,” he added, sounding almost magnanimous.
Jack Della Maddalena clarifies the “retire” comment aimed at Belal Muhammad:
“I’m going to try to finish him dominantly. … Then it’s up to him for what’s next for him.” pic.twitter.com/KeHsZxMnfa
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 7, 2025
Meanwhile, following Della Maddalena’s comments, the incumbent Muhammad, has claimed the former has likely earned himself a title fight in an easier fashion than most before him.
Belal questions if JDM deserves title shot
Despite granting him a shot at the crown, Muhammad has goaded his incoming foe during his own media scrum this evening. Bringing into question his own status as a title challenger, the champion doubts he has had to run the gauntlet like fighters before him.
“There are levels to experience,” he said.
“And I’ve been in there, like you said, with everybody. I had to take the long road to get here. He got a shortcut. He got a shortcut to the top”, the champion added, noting that while there was nothing wrong with taking the opportunities presented, it was going to come at a terrible cost.
“I think that’s going to hurt him because when he’s in there, you know, stuff doesn’t start going his way. He’s looking for his coaches to tell him something. His coaches are trying to look to the past and think of what he did to adjust,” warned the Palestinian-American.
.@bullyb170 promises to “break” Jack Della Maddalena at #UFC315:
“I’ve been in there with everybody. I had to take the long road to get here.. He got a shortcut to the top.” pic.twitter.com/l84GlfEmGK
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 7, 2025
Almost dismissing the Australian’s challenge, Muhammad asserted that there will be no adjustments because whatever JDM planned on doing, he would simply do it better and break him.
