I've said this before and I will say it again. Belal Muhammed is the Nickleback of MMA. People are convinced they don't like him, its cool to hate on him, but the reality is the dude puts out hits. He has the reputation of being a boring wrestler, but there was nothing boring about his title win over Leon Edwards. He rag dolled him, dumped him on his head, won the striking exchanges and showed the world that he is more than than a meme. Belal is a good wrestler who has devloped striking. My only real concern here is the fact that he has developed striking. I don't want Belal to come in here with the stranding finish over Sean Brady and the success he had against Leon thinking that he can stand with JDM, because he can't. If Belal doesn't fight this fight the same way he did against Wonderboy, he is likely screwed. I am going to trust the process here. I think Belal wins. Not only is he a smart guy who understands the dangers of striking, but he also carries the wrestling reputation with him. It is very possible that the normally busy striker in JDM ends up hesitant and afraid to commit because he's too worried about the takedowns. Belal is the pick and I hope he wins so we can get Ilia vs Islam instead of Islam vs JDM.
Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad is a non stop wrestler who averages more than 2 takedowns per fight. He has solid fight IQ and knows when he should wrestle and when he should strike. He has a reputaton for being a boring fighter, but the reality is that he comes forward, puts on pressure and sticks to a gameplan. He has decent striking as well and while it may not win him fights at the highest level, it has contributed to his rise to the title. He is coming off the failed fight against Shavkat where Belal was injured so the fight was cancelled.
Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Maddalena is a high volume striker with an incredible jab. He plots forward on his toes pumps that snappy jab. If his opponent throws back, he takes big steps back and restarts the cycle. He has solid power, a nose that faces the wrong direction and jiu jitsu when he needs it. His takedown defense is solid and sits at 70%. He is coming off the late KO win over Gilbert Burns where he was taken down 7 times.
