How Jack Beat Belal (Patreon)

• If you’re new to LMA, start with our table of contents

When Palestinian UFC champion Belal Muhammad was booked to make his title defense against Jack Della Maddalena, I was nervous. It's hard to defend a title, not just because of the opponent, but because there is a physical toll in even getting the title.

Something I picked up on the lead-up to UFC 315 was how candid Della Maddalena's camp was about their actual training and game planning. This was unusual, but maybe it's a new trend as the Fighting Nerds have done similar.

What I pieced together in their training footage was:

• Della Maddalena will attack coming forward, denying Muhammad the ability to press him against the fence.

• After the attack, he will level change to occupy the space Muhammad needs to shoot.

• Then he will exit either to the left or right. Rinse and repeat.

• If Muhammad does shoot in, he will go for the back. Della Maddalena, in return, will expose his back to get up since that's the quickest path back to his feet.

• From the body lock, based on how Della Maddalena has his weight, it'll trigger a response from Muhammad. If Della Maddalena can control where his weight is, he can pop back up.

• Defend high crotch.

All of this hinged on Della Maddalena, not necessarily being the sharper striker, but the more energy-efficient striker over the course of five rounds. Della Maddalena doesn't overcommit on strikes. He strikes stiff but doesn't go for home runs.

The game plan I outlined was essentially how the fight played out. Della Maddalena had answers for Muhammad's strengths. Muhammad did well, and it was a winnable fight, even as a striking contest. The difference, in my opinion, was the miles. When Della Maddalena got hit, he wore it like a young fighter should and kept throwing. Whenever Muhammad got hit, he had a bigger reaction and lost a bit of steam. Muhammad has great cardio, but has even better cardio when he can secure top position. We also don't know how much that bone infection affected Muhammad.

Regardless of the outcome, the fight, in my opinion, was epic. Outstanding performances by both. I look forward to Belal Muhammad's next fight as he raises the Palestinian flag.

– Sam