At UFC 315, Belal Muhammad stepped in to defend his welterweight title against Australian powerhouse Jack Della Maddalena. But the Aussie came in guns blazing, splitting Muhammad’s upper lip in half and dishing out serious punishment en route to seizing the belt. In doing so, Della Maddalena seemingly shattered the myth of Muhammad’s so-called “Canelo hands.” But has this brutal loss derailed Muhammad’s career? According to Michael Bisping, not at all. In fact, the former champ believes it’s having the opposite effect.

Belal Muhammad’s first title defense didn’t go as planned, but ‘Remember the Name’ stayed true to his word by standing and striking with ‘JDM.’ That doesn’t mean Muhammad didn’t try to wrestle his way around the Aussie. He attempted nine takedowns but successfully landed only three. His defeat has clearly rattled him, as we witnessed a noticeably somber Belal Muhammad in the aftermath of his fight—something we’re not used to seeing from him. But Bisping has his reasons why Muhammad need not be so dejected.

According to Michael Bisping, Muhammad’s UFC 315 outing has rather increased his star power. While having a conversation on his YouTube handle, Bisping said, “Yes, Belal lost the belt, but I think his stock, in a weird way, has risen higher even though he’s not a champion.”

He further added, “Let me know what you think about that comment because that sounds crazy, but I think it terms of genuine perception from the fans, they now have more respect for Belal Muhammad.” ‘Remember The Name’s career under the promotion has been crazy.

Muhammad was undefeated for six years after a unanimous decision loss against Geoff Neal in 2019. After that defeat, he went on an 11-fight winning streak that ended in a title win. But that reign was as short-lived as could be.

Later this Saturday, Belal Muhammad took to his social media handle to release his statement after his defeat, “Allah’s plan is the best plan. Alhamdillah for everything. Thank you to all my supporters. I’ve been here before and I’ll be back.” Belal Muhammad might have to take some time off from the fighting world due to his injuries, but he will certainly come back stronger. Interestingly, Team JDM has come forward to rub salt on Muhammad’s already open wounds. How? Let us find out.

Team JDM rips apart Belal Muhammad’s game plan

Once known as a dominant force due to his victory over Leon Edwards and an 11-fight winning streak, Belal Muhammad has now tasted defeat against the Aussie slugger. The victory can be attributed to Della Maddalena’s impressive game plan, which his coach devised for him. But, how did they rub salt on Muhammad’s wounds, you ask? Well, Della Maddalena, ahead of the fight, shared training footage on his YouTube handle titled “How to Beat Belal Muhammad,” where his longtime coach Ben Vickers explained the preparation for the fight.

In the same video, Vickers said, “If you f–ing [do it] like Geoff Neal did, down-block, even he’s not all the way in, then just throw your feet back, he f–ing face planted Belal! And then Belal got tired towards the end. If it was only a three-round fight, he wasn’t on juice then; it was a different physique completely. After that, the down-block was enough! After the first few sprawls, the down-block was enough to push him off.”

Benn Vickers is not the first to accuse Muhammad of using PEDs. Ahead of his UFC 304 title fight, Muhammad was also accused by Colby Covington and Dillon Danis. However, despite all these accusations, “Remember the Name” has maintained his clean record.

Interestingly, Vickers’ game plan against Muhammad was precise, as Muhammad, despite attempting several takedowns, failed to dominate the Aussie. When asked about ‘Remember The Name’s game plan, Della Maddalena asserted that he was not impressed by his fighting, “Not really [surprised by his game plan]. He was saying he wasn’t going to do takedowns but I was expecting I guess an all-around offense. I guess you can never expect anything. You’ve just got to roll with it. I feel that’s what I did,” said Maddalena.

Belal Muhammad’s wrestling and cardio helped him seize momentum in the later rounds, but by that point, it was too late. Regardless, what are your thoughts on Belal Muhammad’s performance? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.