‘I Went Against The Game Plan'
Photo byBelal Muhammad has a reason for losing his UFC welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena earlier this month at UFC 315. 'Remember the Name' simply didn't stick to the gameplan.
Coming into his first UFC title defense at UFC 315 Muhammad was a betting favorite and for good reason. Muhammad hadn't lost in 11 UFC fights and was coming off a landslide win over Leon Edwards back in July 2024. Many expected Muhammad to utilize his world-class pressure, cardio, and takedown attempts along the cage to take away JDM's striking and wilt him in the later rounds.
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Unfortunately, Muhammad didn't follow the game plan that his team put in place all camp. Instead of shooting for takedowns and forcing Della Maddalena to defend and scramble, Muhammad willingly exchanged on the feet. It allowed JDM all the time in the world to land his patented punches and run away with a decision win (highlights HERE).
Muhammad offered a brief response following his loss at UFC 315, but now he's diving in a little deeper. According to the former champion, he 'just felt good' for his fight against Della Maddalena and in the moment wanted to go toe-to-toe with the Australian fighter. The night simply unraveled the way it did and now Muhammad will have to fight his way back to being UFC champion.
'Our strategy was to take down Jack. It wasn't to go blow for blow with him,' said Muhammad during a recent episode of the Remember the Show podcast (shown in the above video player). 'I went out there and I just felt good...
'I went against the game plan, and at the end of the day I'm going to live with that...
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'Was my game plan wrong? It could've went the other way. Could it have been an easier fight? It could've.'
What do you think, Maniacs? If Muhammad would have stuck to his original gameplan would he still be UFC champion?
Let us know!
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