Belal Muhammad reacts to Islam Makhachev dominating Jack Della Maddalena
Former UFC champion Belal Muhammad has given his thoughts on Islam Makhachev dominating Jack Della Maddalena to capture the UFC welterweight title.
Belal Muhammad will return to action this weekend at UFC Qatar, as he prepares to face Ian Machado Garry in a blockbuster co-main event. If he wins, then there’s an argument to be made that he could vault right back into title contention as he prepares to go after the belt he lost.
Belal Muhammad lost the strap at the hands of Jack Della Maddalena in a thrilling bout earlier this year. Many felt as if Belal was good enough to get the job done but in the end, the Australian sensation did enough, especially on the feet and with his defensive work, to walk away as champion.
In a recent interview, Belal Muhammad gave his thoughts on Islam Makhachev’s dominant triumph over JDM.
Belal Muhammad’s view on Islam Makhachev beating Jack Della Maddalena
“Islam sometimes goes into fights and he wants to strike a little bit. He wants to brawl. But I think they did a good job of keeping him sticking to the strategy,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “He did a very smart job of hitting those calf kicks early. I think that played a huge role in it, and it really messed up Jack’s footwork.
“That was just an easy target for Islam to shoot and take him down. But I knew if it hits the ground, there wasn’t anything that Jack was going to be able to do to get up. Islam’s so good on top, and he’s very heavy.”
“I just saw a similar guy,” Muhammad said of Makhachev. “I knew he was big enough for 170. I didn’t think he would be undersized or anything like that. Them guys, they’re all so strong. They all train with some monsters over there, so I don’t think that there would be a size that matters. I think it comes down to Jack not training with somebody from that region, right?
You could train with Craig Jones, you could train with this jiu-jitsu guy, but the guys from Dagestan, the guys from there – (Dricus Du Plessis) felt the same thing with Khamzat (Chimaev). If you’ve never felt it, you don’t want your first knowing the feel in the cage with a referee in there.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
