BELAL MUHAMMAD SAVED THE UFC!

Boy…That was a great fight, huh? It had it all: Active and diverse striking, Scrambles, escapes from bottom position, minimal wrestling and holding against the cage, Blood, and a hectic final two minutes to top it all off. But even better than all of that, and even more unlikely, Belal Muhammad had an entertaining fight!!!! And for once I’m not being sarcastic…

Welterweight has a new Top Dawg: Jack Della Madelana (JDM). An unlikely hero who has probably only seen by the most hardcore of fans as a future champ. But after that performance, it’s hard not to feel stupid for only now seeing his greatness. I’ve long thought Ilia Topuria had the best boxing in the UFC, and I still do, but JDM is a very close second. His combinations and use of head movement were something that, ironically, Canelo would appreciate. Even with self-proclaimed Canelo-like hands, Belal was no match for JDM, in the pocket, at range, and surprisingly…on the ground. Belal just came in with the wrong game plan, but I don’t fault him for doing so, and you shouldn't either. It seemed as if Belal was determined to prove he’s not just a takedown merchant and finally show the MMA sphere that he can hang with the best and is deserving of being looked at as one of the best in the division. And as much as I find him boring, and I’m pleased he is no longer Champ, I do have to say I’m looking forward to his next fight. Maybe vs one: Kamaru Usman?

JDM had about as good of a start as you could ask for, by forcing Belal into his type of fight. His jab was educated and able to keep Belal at bay, avoiding any serious damage. He maintained a safe distance and proceeded to pick him off at range. A very stark contrast to that of Belal’s last fight vs former champ: Leon Edwards (scoring a takedown in the first few minutes). Belal did shoot a takedown, but failed to secure it. From there, things seemed to get worse for Belal as JDM fainted a takedown of his own, signifying his growing confidence. Utilizing high-level footwork to hit Belal and get out of range (stick and move), circling out after every exchange, JDM was on fire. I distinctly remember a moment where Belal seemed to get a few licks in on JDM against the side of the octagon. It seemed a Belal takedown into a round of falling on the ground like a dead fish was inevitable…all hope seemed to be lost, but JDM quickly threw an elbow in the clinch, and to my surprise, Belal threw one back. As they traded elbows in the pocket, I jumped out of my seat as the excitement of the fight roared to a high I thought wouldn't be topped…

As the rounds went on, they seemed to get closer, but JDM still looked as poised as ever. Belal eventually had some success in round 4 and was able to get the fight to the ground. There he soon realized, it’s damn near impossible to keep JDM down. JDM would immediately grab one of Belal’s forearms to stop him from wrapping around his body, stopping the takedown in full. The fight seemed to be won by whoever was forcing the other against the cage…so both men wanted to go on the front foot and force the other back. For the most part, JDM was doing this the best. I don’t really know what Belal thought he could do in this regard. Typically, you would have something in your arsenal to keep your opponent at bay (like a solid right hand or the threat of a takedown), and for all the talk of having Canelo-like hands, Belal’s were more like actaully cinnamon than Canelo. Towards the end of the fight, JDM landed a nasty knee up the middle that split Belal open, and from there it seemed like the beginning of the end. 

The final round had started, and it seemed more of the same was to come. At one point, JDM seemed like he had Belal dead to rights, until Belal stung him with a right hand and quickly grabbed him into a clinch. Exhausted, JDM checked the time and decided to do something unorthodox. He attempted to grab Belal's leg, trying for a takedown of his own. Unfortunate for him, it immediately backfired, and Belal reversed the position, flipping him and ending up on top. I threw my hands on my head as this seemed like one of the biggest lapses in I.Q. I’d ever seen. Although it seemed JDM was most likely in the lead here, a round of Belal having significant control time could be the difference in a decision. These days, you have no idea what the judges are thinking. JDM had his hands wrapped around Belal’s neck, controlling posture, seemingly accepting the potion for the rest of the round…“What an anticlimactic way to end a stellar fight”. But JDM seems to be a storyteller at heart, as he dodged a Belal punch and was able to get his arms and his knees under Belal and hoisted him off, jumping right back to his feet. The sense of urgency kicked in as I’m sure the words of his coaches rang through his head, “You’re not F*****g tired. Five minutes to realize all your dreams”. JDM wasted little time as he stalked Belal. He waited patiently for his opening and pounced, unloading a barrage of straight rights and hooks to the body. Somehow, Belal was still standing. Fatigued, JDM backed up, and the clock ran down. Even though Belal was still standing, the damage had been done as he was wobbled. JDM came back in for one final exchange, and Belal attempted to grab him, but a strong right hook around the guard backed him off. Dazed and confused, Belal watched the Clock run out. 

In the end, we got an amazing scrap and fight of the year contender, for what's been a lackluster year so far, to say the least. I hope this is a window into what’s to come for the UFC and the combat sports circuit as a whole. The main problem is the complacency of the UFC and an overall lack of excitement for upcoming fights. McGregor is gone and most likely never coming back, and the UFC has struggled to fill his shoes ever since he couldn’t fit in his own anymore. But it’s remiss to think that finding the next star will be done by doing so forcefully (ask Roman Reigns and the WWE how that went). I’m positively sure this fight went under most people’s radar; it did mine, as I almost missed it. And that’s due to the UFC not doing their job of promoting. I get it, it’s easy to put on fights of low interest because the existing fans will come regardless. Why take the risk of investing resources and time into something that could potentially be a stinker? After all, you can’t control what happens in the cage. You hedge your bets by doing the bare minimum. But on the flipside, unfortunately for the UFC, they miss out on the chance to discover what could be their next star, Á la JDM, due to halfhearted promotion.

We need fighters to care again and be willing to put it on the line to entertain like JDM and Belal, and we need the UFC to properly promote again, otherwise the sport dies. And it’s not asking much, a few more press conferences here and there, a face-to-face sit down once, and you’re good lol. And as for the fighters, who am I to tell them what to do, so I won’t. But I would say, you’ll never get to where you want to go by just winning. It’s all about how you make people feel. I know Belal is a boring fighter and was a pretty underwhelming champion, but this loss did more for his career than winning by decision, think Khalil Rountree vs Pereira. Entertaining is easier said than done, but you've got two fists and a will to win, right…right? It’s gotta be discouraging when you have armchair quarterbacks online laughing and praying for your downfall, because they figured you out of their parlay. So to the fans, I know it’s fun to make jokes and all, but if it continues, we’ll continue to get boring fights. For the sake of the sport, be better…everyone…Please.