Belal Muhammad lost his title and some of his lip.
In his initial attempt to defend the welterweight title during UFC 315 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Muhammad lost via unanimous decision to Jack Della Maddalena on Saturday night.
It was Muhammad’s first bout since beating Leon Edwards last July in England, winning via unanimous decision in an underwhelming contest.
Saturday’s bout was a grueling five-rounder where Della Maddalena’s striking and takedown defense kept Muhammad in check for much of the night.
Although Muhammad aimed to execute his grappling tactic to bring Della Maddalena to the mat, the former champion faced challenges in successfully landing takedowns, which led him to endure considerable damage throughout the match.
A widely talked-about moment after the fight involves a striking image, shared by UFC President Dana White, depicting Muhammad’s badly split upper lip from the toll of the bout.
Also seen are cuts and areas of swelling on and around Muhammad’s face.
The fight stats reflected Della Maddalena’s victory accurately in this instance, which isn’t always the case.
He landed 178 significant strikes compared to Muhammad’s 132.
Muhammad managed to secure three takedowns out of nine attempts, but it was to little avail as the challenger took home the win 49-46 and 48-47 twice on three scorecards.
Della Maddalena also immediately challenged the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter Islam Makhachev — currently the promotion’s lightweight champion — to a future bout.
The win marks Della Maddalena’s 18th consecutive victory after an 0-2 start to his mixed martial arts career.
Since joining the UFC after a decision win on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in 2021, he is 8-0 with five wins by knockout or submission.
The loss marks Muhammad’s first defeat since early 2019, snapping a 10-fight win streak (not counting a no contest with the aforementioned Edwards in 2021), dropping the former champ’s career record to 24-4.
