Replicating what Alex Pereira has done in the UFC in only 4 years can be a tough ask for other fighters. Not just in terms of delivering brutal highlights against incredibly tough opponents, but also showing up in front of cheering fans 4 times in 365 days, and doing so at a crucial time when the promotion needed him most. That level of activity has earned ‘Poatan’ more fans than ever before, and Belal Muhammad is certainly among those who admire and respect it.

The current 170 lbs kingpin claimed the championship by defeating Leon Edwards in front of his home crowd at UFC 304 in Manchester, back in July 2024. While Shavkat Rakhmonov was ready to prove he was a legitimate threat, Belal Muhammad’s plans for a relatively quick turnaround were derailed due to a bone injury that ultimately canceled the fight at UFC 310, which made him do nothing for 06 weeks. 

Belal told Demetrious Johnson at the Mighty Cast podcast, “I had years when I fought four times, five times. Then, I had a long lay-off because I was waiting for the title shot. I had to wait for a whole year to get the title shot. So, that was a hard part for me. And, once I got the title, I’m like, ‘Let’s do a quick turnaround. ’ It was gonna be four months, then I was ready to fight Shavkat. Then we caught to injury, then it was like 6 weeks of doing absolutely nothing.”

The Palestinian-American took the long road to his title shot. He fought four times in 2021, which was his busiest year by far, and four more between 2023 and 2024, including his championship win over Edwards. Determined to stay active, he even trained through Ramadan for a bout against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Now, as the reigning welterweight champion, Belal hopes to follow Alex Pereira’s lead of staying incredibly active, if his health allows.

He added, “Then again, I had to get right back into the camp, right back into the training, and I was like, ‘When do I feel good?’ Then Ramadan happened, so I was like ‘may work perfectly! I don’t wanna wait any longer than that. Yeah, if I’m healthy, I’m ready to go again. Obviously, you always wanna be healthy and always want to keep working. For myself, let’s get as many as possible. I want to be an active champion, those are guys I see, and I wanna be that guy where the UFC could count on me and look at me and be like we got Pereira Jr. right there.”

Belal’s commitment to staying active is impressive and could keep the welterweight division thriving. With Joaquin Buckley facing Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta and Ian Garry on as a backup for UFC 315, Belal has no shortage of contenders. He could very well become a “Pereira Jr.” in terms of consistency and appearances. But first, he must get through this weekend’s challenge, a task he openly admits won’t be so easy.

Belal Muhammad thinks Jack Della Maddalena will be mentally tough to break

Remember Belal Muhammad’s attitude before UFC 304? He was spitting fire at Leon Edwards and his team, and ultimately backed it up with a solid performance to claim the belt. Belal credits part of that win to his ability to play mind games before the fight, knowing the former champ could break under pressure. But heading into UFC 315, he admits that won’t be the case this time around.

Continuing his podcast with Demetrious Johnson at the Mighty Cast, Belal said, “When I looked at the guy, when they told me Shavkat was injured, and they brought up Jack. I was like ‘Okay, let’s go!’ I’ve been watching them, paying attention to them. And one of the keys that you said, he doesn’t have a give-up button. When I fought Leon, I knew that he was beatable. I was like, ‘Mentally, he was gonna break.’ With Jack, even if he’s down, he’s still fighting, he’s going until the final bell. And, I know that he’s gonna be in there.”

Jack Della Meddalena is an extremely tough fighter. He was deep under the waters against Bassil Hafez and Gilbert Burns, but through sheer will and also technique, the Aussie turned the fight around and became victorious. So, Belal recognizing that before the fight definitely adds to the intrigue of this fight. 

With that being said, do you think Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 will be a boring fight? Or will it catch fire? Please let us know by commenting below.