Belal Muhammad Says He Routinely Trains W/ Tougher Guys Than UFC 315 Opponent
Belal Muhammad I Train W/ Guys More Dangerous Than My UFC 315 Opp ... Jack Della Maddalena
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Fight night should be a breeze for Belal Muhammad ... 'cause the UFC welterweight champ says he regularly works out with dudes most dangerous than Jack Della Maddalena, his UFC 315 opp!
TMZ Sports spoke with the 36-year-old fighter ahead of Saturday's main event scrap ... and like a slugger on deck taking hacks with a donut on his bat, Belal says the actual fight will be easier than his time on the practice mats.
"When I look at the guys that I train with, I tell you, I'm training with the best striker in the world in Ignacio Bahamondes. And I strike with this guy every single day. Jack doesn't have striking that comes close to him. The grapplers that I train with, the guys that I'm sparring with every single day, they're better than Jack," Muhammad said.
"And when we go, we go. We're not taking any shortcuts. We're not going soft over here. I've gone through the hard parts in this training camp. The fight's gonna be easy."
FYI, 315 is Belal's first title defense ... after winning the belt against rival Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in mid-2024. 28-year-old Maddalena, 17-2 (7-0 in the UFC, not counting his Contender Series win in 2021), is coming off a win over Gilbert Burns in March 2024. JDM is currently ranked 5th in the 170 lb. division.
There's a bunch more with Muhammad ... including whether he feels fans are finally giving him the respect his resume demands.
We also talked to the champion Valentina Shevchenko ahead of her UFC 315 co-main event title fight ... AND UFC honcho Dana White, who weighed in on the GOAT debate -- Bullet OR Amanda Nunes.
