Gilbert Burns, who has fought both Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, believes the fight between them at UFC 315 will be closer than people think.
In the main event of UFC 315, Belal Muhammad will defend his UFC welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena. The expectation, in the eyes of many fans and pundits, is that the reigning champion will be able to use his wrestling to dominate and defeat JDM. Of course, mixed martial arts is rarely that simple.
Gilbert Burns, who has fought both Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, has a slightly different view on things.
Gilbert Burns’ view on Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena
“Belal Muhammad is very, very tough right now,” Burns told MMA Junkie Radio. “(He has) crazy cardio, amazing cardio, very high IQ. (He’s) getting better everywhere – quick hands, hard kicks. (He has a) good team. His team is very good. They do a good strategy every time. He always shows up in good shape – but so does JDM.
“JDM is super underrated. People have no idea. That guy hits so hard. (He has) very clean boxing, good takedown defense, good scrambling. His jiu-jitsu is getting so much better. He’s training with Craig Jones, with (Alexander) Volkanovski. He’s so good that this fight is closer than people think.
“People are kind of counting JDM out, but JDM is a problem. … I think Belal is going to struggle a lot in the striking. JDM is not going anywhere. That guy is going to stay there. I was taking Belal as a favorite, but I’m kind of changing. That fight is super, super close.
“Belal has the speed advantage for sure in the cardio, but JDM is a monster, too. He hits very hard. He’s not going to get finished. He’s not going to get knocked out. His cardio is looking very good. I’m kind of maybe changing. I think it’s going to be a very close fight.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
