For a UFC fighter, being compared to the likes of Georges St-Pierre is an honor in itself, that is, unless you’re Belal Muhammad. His latest opponent, Jack Della Maddalena, is also not a big fan of his fighting style. He’s got grudging respect for Belal’s grit, but a fan, he’s not/
According to JDM, it reminds him a bit of the greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre. Belal, like GSP, has a style rooted in its flawless execution of a ground game. Sure, both GSP and he would submit an opponent when the opportunity presented itself, but the approach was always intended to score enough points to win.
But why should anyone complain, especially when it used to work for GSP and now it works for Belal.
“It’s no question he’s got a boring fight style you know, he’s good at holding people down, getting victories“, JDM said in an interview with Fox Sports Australia.
“Fair play to him, like GSP 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, he can out-strike the grapplers”, the Aussie challenger pointed out.
All the respect and admiration aside, though, JDM knows exactly what he has to do when he steps into the octagon at UFC 315. In fact, he has shared a bold prediction for the fight.
Della Maddalena’s fight prediction
The Australian has been on a tear since joining the UFC back in January 2022. Since then, he has gone on an unbeaten 7-fight win streak, taking out the likes of Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns during this run.
JDM understands that trading with Belal for five rounds is the equivalent of offering him the title defense on a plate. So he doesn’t want to wait for five. He doesn’t even want to wait for three.
“Eyes on the price, stoked the UFC have put their trust in me to save the division. This will be done in 1 no doubt”, he posted on Instagram.
This idea of having to save the division comes from the notion of Belal not being a very attractive fighter. It’s been an argument often used to surmise the championship reigns of grapplers everywhere.
And now, with at least four major divisions of the UFC- bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight, and light heavyweight, all being championed by grapplers- the fallacious idea has taken root stronger than ever.
An explosive striker like Maddalena would be a welcome change. For casual fans and viewers who tune in to watch slug fests, Madallena as champion would be a good enough reason to shell out $79.99.
