Everyone and their grandma knows that Belal Muhammad‘s biggest weapon in his arsenal is his intense wrestling prowess. But ahead of his maiden title defense at UFC 315, the welterweight champion has a different game plan in mind. The first-ever Palestinian UFC champion has decided to give the contender, Jack Della Maddalena, a tough competition in the aspect of fighting that the Aussie star is good at: Boxing. And guess what? Muhammad claims to possess boxing skills as good as Canelo Alvarez’s.
“I’m not gonna shoot one takedown, and I’m gonna show him the meaning of Canelo Hands,” said a confident Muhammad during a recent interview. In case you’re wondering where he got the confidence from to make such a bold claim, it’s from his coach striking coach, Horacio Gutierrez. “If you watch guys like Canelo or Marquez… Belal has the hands like that,” the welterweight champ’s coach stated in 2024.
Well, it seems like not many people are buying into what Muhammad and his camp have to say about his striking. There’s no doubt that ‘Remember the Name’ has developed into a more well-rounded fighter over the years, but that’s not enough to convince former champion Kamaru Usman, who’s usually considered a better striker than Muhammad.
When ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ came across the reigning champ’s statement in an Instagram post from ESPN, he could only react with the face with tears of joy emojis, dismissing Belal Muhammad’s claim. But that’s not all, because a renowned boxing journalist also decided to chime in on the conversation. Elie Seckbach, who’s got a boxing-centric YouTube channel with over a billion cumulative views, failed to comprehend the UFC champion’s tall claim.
Boxing pays more, doesn’t it? It’s a well-established fact, and if Muhammad possessed skills similar to star pugilists like Canelo Alvarez or even Juan Manuel Márquez, he wouldn’t have entered the MMA world, according to Elie Seckbach. “If this man guy had hands like Canelo, he’d be a boxing, a great one at that… he does not have anything like Canelo or Marquez,” the boxing reporter commented on ESPN’s post.
Well, Muhammad might have been serious when he made that claim, or maybe it was just a tactic to get people talking ahead of his maiden title defense this weekend. Regardless, Muhammad may need to remember that Jack Della Maddalena’s boxing skills make him a big threat, and trading strikes may not end well for the reigning champion. The Aussie is currently on a 17-fight tear and has finished 14 of his opponents during that time.
However, despite the risks that may be involved in trading punches with Della Maddalena, Muhammad appears to stand firm in his decision. That’s especially because he wants to prove his doubters wrong. Let’s take a look at what he had to say on that front.
Belal Muhammad plans to shut down the naysayers ahead of UFC 315
Belal Muhammad has had to deal with jeers from the crowd on most occasions when he makes his way inside the Octagon for a fight. However, he’s been able to remain unfazed and dominate his opponents, which has increased his confidence. Their negative reactions, according to Muhammad, act as a fuel for him to get better in his craft and shut his critics up every time he turns up for a fight.
“I don’t want the fans. I want the doubters, I want the people to tell me I’m going to lose because it just makes me work that much harder,” Belal Muhammad told ‘MMA Junkie’ last month. Nevertheless, the champion claims that he may not have been able to manage the crowd reactions and what others have to say about him if he hadn’t had the team he surrounds himself with. “That’s why I have the circle around me, the teammates around me that keep me level-headed.”
Belal Muhammad during the ceremonial weigh-ins during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Etihad Campus, SportCity, England on 26 July 2024. Copyright: xAndyxRowlandx PMI-6349-0003
Thereafter, he explained why he mentioned Canelo Alvarez ahead of his next fight. That’s because Jack Della Maddalena is a well-established striker in the UFC, and the approach to his training has been to be able to deal with top-class strikers. “In my head, I’m going against the best striker in the world. In my head, I’m going against Canelo Alvarez, so I’ve got to train like I’m going against those guys, so I don’t look past him, and I don’t take my foot off the gas,” Muhammad added.
Whether he fights like Canelo Alvarez or not, we’ll all find that out when the Octagon door locks this weekend at UFC 315 and the fight goes underway. Who do you have your money on, Belal Muhammad or Jack Della Maddalena? Let us know in the comment section below!
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