Belal Muhammad faced a tough night as he lost his title and, somewhat gruesomely, part of his lip.
In his first defense of the welterweight title at UFC 315 in Montreal on Saturday, Muhammad was defeated by Jacques de La Maddalena via unanimous decision.
This match was his first since his unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards in the UK last July.
Throughout five challenging rounds, Della Maddalena showcased formidable takedown defense, keeping Muhammad on the back foot for most of the fight.
Despite Muhammad trying to leverage his grappling skills, he struggled with takedowns, leading to a significant loss as he fell behind in the scorecards.
In a moment that sparked considerable discussion, UFC President Dana White shared a graphic image illustrating the extent of Muhammad’s injuries, including a severely split upper lip.
There was also noticeable swelling on Muhammad’s face.
The statistics bore testament to Della Maddalena’s dominance; he landed a total of 178 significant strikes compared to Muhammad’s 132.
While Muhammad managed to secure three takedowns out of nine attempts, it wasn’t sufficient, as Della Maddalena won on two out of three judges’ scorecards.
With this victory, Della Maddalena not only claimed the welterweight championship but also called out UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for a future matchup.
This win marks Della Maddalena’s 18th consecutive victory, a remarkable turnaround after starting his mixed martial arts career with two losses.
He has celebrated five knockouts or submissions in eight fights since joining the UFC, following a notable win in the 2021 “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
For Muhammad, this defeat ends a remarkable 10-fight winning streak since early 2019, bringing his record to 24-4.
