Robert Whittaker expressed doubts about Belal Muhammad‘s strategy in his UFC 315 loss to Jack Della Maddalena, noting that Muhammad deviated from his usual grappling-focused style, while acknowledging Della Maddalena’s effective performance and speculating on a potential future fight with Islam Makhachev.
Robert Whittaker isn’t sure if Belal Muhammad had the best strategy over the weekend.
On Saturday, Muhammad lost his welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, falling by unanimous decision. Della Maddalena, or “JDM,” put on a stellar performance, blocking most of Muhammad’s takedowns and dominating with powerful strikes. This victory made him the third Australian champion in UFC history, joining Whittaker and Alexander Volkanovski. Whittaker was thrilled about this.
“Another Australian champion!” Whittaker exclaimed on his YouTube channel. “How good does it feel to be an Aussie right now? He did everything so well. I can’t be happier. I’m proud as punch right now.”
Despite his joy, Whittaker wonders if Muhammad truly showed his best on Saturday. Before the fight, Muhammad vowed not to shoot on Della Maddalena, aiming to showcase his “Canelo hands.” Yet, he attempted nine takedowns, lacking his usual grappling focus.
“I expected more takedowns,” Whittaker noted. “It’s easy to say from the outside. We don’t know how he felt during the fight. In the third or fourth round, when he mixed striking with his shots, they were clean. His two takedowns came from open mat situations.”
Why didn’t we see more of that? It seems like Belal was trying to prove something by striking with Jack for the first three rounds. And if that’s true, it’s ridiculous. Jack excels at midrange boxing.
In Whittaker’s view, what made Belal a champion was his ability to mix punches with takedowns. He’s not a ground specialist like Gilbert Burns. His strength lies in his punch-punch-shoot rhythm, which was missing.
Whittaker also considers that Della Maddalena might have prevented Muhammad from executing his style. “Jack did a great job dissuading Belal from takedowns and controlling the center ring,” Whittaker said. “Was it Jack’s skill or Belal’s choice to strike? It’s an uphill battle.”
After the win, Della Maddalena expressed interest in a superfight with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. UFC CEO Dana White hinted this could happen. Whittaker believes “JDM” might face more challenges against Makhachev.
“I’m curious,” Whittaker admitted. “I think Makhachev does everything Belal does, but better. That’s the million-dollar question. Volk landed shots on Makhachev, so Jack could too, but it leaves him open to takedowns. Makhachev’s takedown game is superior.”
What does that mean? Who knows? [Laughs].