Belal Muhammad is widely considered to be the best wrestler in the welterweight division – but claiming that he’s also the best striker in the weight class is downright delusional.
After Shavkat Rakhmonov revealed he’d been sidelined with an injury, the UFC was forced into a main event switch-around, with Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena now stepping in to face ‘Remember the Name’ on May 10.
This evening, the two athletes came face-to-face for the first time at the UFC 315 on-sale press conference, with the most memorable moment being a rather outlandish claim from the reigning welterweight champion.
Belal Muhammad calls himself ‘the best striker’ in the welterweight division
The UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena on-sale pre-fight press conference has just wrapped up and to be frank, it was a rather dull and dreary event to listen through.
However, ears perked up when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad made the wild claim that not only is he the best grappler at 170lbs, but also the division’s premier striker.
“Will I be able to be [keep it] standing? No, [it’s] will he be able to keep up with my boxing,” declared Muhammad, before pronouncing himself as the best striker in the weight class.
“I’m the best striker in the welterweight division. I’m the best grappler. I’m the best wrestler. I’m the best fighter – you’ve seen this [before].
“Leon Edwards was ‘the next one up, he was the GOAT, he knocked out Kamaru Usman,’ and I made it look easy – I’m going to make it look easy on May 10.”
A reminder that the welterweight division features top-tier strikers like Leon Edwards, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Jack Della Maddalena, Joaquin Buckley, Stephen Thompson, Michael Page, and Ian Machado Garry… A reminder also that Belal Muhammad has only one KO/TKO win since 2016, stretching back 17 fights.
“People are just going to keep doubting me and I’m just going to keep breaking [down] those barriers, I’m going to keep showing you guys that I am the best fighter in the world.”
Della Maddalena might be riding a 17-fight winning streak that includes five finishes in his last seven fights but according to Muhammad, he’s still only a small fish in a big pond.
“He’s coming out of the Kiddy pool and he’s going straight into the deep end of the ocean, this is going to be a bad night for him, and you’ll see it on May 10.”
UFC fans roast Belal Muhammad over ‘best striker’ at 170lbs claim
Given the fact he has only one KO/TKO win since 2016, and that there’s a slew of world-class strikers still fighting at 170lbs, it’s no surprise that fans have been in hysterics over Muhammad’s claim.
“Best striker… Guy couldn’t knock down a domino,” wrote one fan, with another adding: “This is why nobody likes him, brilliant wrestler but after that is delusion.”
“He would lose in a striking match to Valentina,” wrote another fan in response to the claim, with another going straight to the point: “Belal is not a top five striker at 170” let alone the best in the division.
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena goes down live from the Center Bell Arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday, May 10.