Jack Della Maddalena anticipated a tough fight against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, and the bout certainly delivered on that expectation.
The back-and-forth contest was recognized as Fight of the Night. Muhammad, true to his pre-fight promise, primarily showcased his striking and largely steered clear of takedowns. This strategy might have ultimately cost him the championship, though Della Maddalena stated he wasn`t entirely taken aback by it.
At the UFC 315 post-fight press conference, Della Maddalena commented on Muhammad`s approach, saying, “Not really [surprised by his game plan]. He was saying he wasn’t going to do takedowns but I was expecting I guess an all-around offense. I guess you can never expect anything. You’ve just got to roll with it. I feel that’s what I did.”
Although he was taken down a couple of times during the five rounds, Della Maddalena avoided significant damage on the ground and was consistently able to get back to his feet.
Interestingly, Della Maddalena`s own plan involved controlling the center of the octagon and preventing Muhammad from pinning him against the cage. While he found himself in that position multiple times, Della Maddalena also landed some of his best strikes when Muhammad pressed forward and fought at close range.
Regarding his strategy, Della Maddalena explained, “The game plan was to stay off the fence. Like, he does his best work on the fence. So I was trying to stay off the fence but he was just walking down, pushing me up against the fence. I felt like every time he came in, I was able to hit him and then get off the fence.”
He added, “I was expecting a tough fight. Obviously, he’s a good fighter, a pressure fighter, good wrestling, he’s pretty well-rounded. I was expecting a tough fight.”
Entering the fifth and final round, with the scorecards potentially tight, Della Maddalena aimed for a finish rather than leaving the outcome to the judges.
He nearly achieved this goal, landing a powerful combination that visibly wobbled the now-former champion. Credit to Muhammad, who displayed incredible durability as Della Maddalena pressed hard for the stoppage.
Della Maddalena shared his mindset: “I was hoping to get him out of there. I’ve been thinking all week it would be cool to get that late fight finish like with Gilbert Burns. It felt good to rally through and then take him out at the end. But I tried.”
After the fight concluded, Della Maddalena was unsure of the judges` decision, but his coaches confidently assured him he had done enough to secure the victory. They were correct, as the scorecards read 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in his favor, crowning him the new UFC champion.
He reflected, “You never know but I was confident I had done pretty good work. But I guess you never know when you leave it to the judges. When I finished the fight, I asked the corner a few times and they said, ‘Yep, you definitely won that.’”
