UFC’s Laura Sanko Defends Belal Muhammad’s Boring Style: ‘Winning is the Most Important’
Belal Muhammad may not be the most exciting fighter to watch, but he gets the job done.
Climbing to the top of the welterweight mountain with a dominant decision victory over Leon Edwards last year, ‘Remember The Name’ will look to continue building his legacy this Saturday (May 10) when the promotion heads back to The Great White North for UFC 315 inside the Bell Centre in Montreal.
There, Muhammad will square off with Aussie sensation Jack Della Maddalena in a classic battle of grappler vs. striker.
While the sportsbooks have Muhammad favored to win the bout by greater than 2-to-1 odds, fight fans collectively have their fingers crossed, hoping ‘JDM’ cuts the Chicago native’s title reign short.
Muhammad’s yawn-inducing style of fighting has frustrated UFC viewers for years, but there’s no denying that his grapple-heavy attack is effective. After all, it’s landed him wins in 10 straight fights and has taken him to the top of the welterweight division.
Laura Sanko likens Belal Muhammad to ‘GSP’
Offering her take on Muhammad’s contentious style, UFC analyst Laura Sanko made it clear that for fighters, winning is the most important thing, and that doesn’t always translate to fan-friendly affairs inside the Octagon.
“What the fans want to see and what wins fights is not always the exact same thing,” Sanko said during an appearance on Submission Radio. “Winning is the most important thing in professional sport. That is what gets you to the top. It may not turn you into a superstar, but holding the belt and defending the belt will.”
“GSP was called boring often, and they’re not entirely dissimilar in the way that they fight. And yet, removed from having GSP, we miss him. There’s not a person out there that wouldn’t put him on their list of GOATs.”
Through 24 career wins, Belal Muhammad has only finished six of his opponents, making for a lowly 25% finish rate. Meanwhile, Jack Della Maddalena has put away 14 of his 17 opponents, giving him a finish rate over 82%.
