Beneil Dariush: Belal Muhammad Capable of Striking with Jack Della Maddalena

Beneil Dariush doesn’t think Belal Muhammad will be at a striking disadvantage against Jack Della Maddalena.

Muhammad puts his welterweight title on the line against Maddalena in the main event at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While Muhammad was initially expected to face the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, “Nomad” reportedly couldn’t accept the matchup due to an injury.

While Muhammad’s grappling skill is well known, some believe Maddalena can outstrike the champ on the feet. However, Dariush, an ace grappler himself, disagrees. The Assyrian-American believes Muhammad’s skill set is still generally underestimated. According to Dairush, “Remember the Name” not only has a huge wrestling advantage over Maddalena but can also stand up with the Australian for as long as he wants.

“Belal is so good. I think people need to start recognizing his skillset,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I think he has a big advantage in the grappling. And he is not really behind in the striking. I don’t see anything wrong where he would struggle too much with the striking. His striking is just fine. I think he would be able to stand his own with JDM as long as he needs to.”

Muhammad has shown significant improvement in his stand-up game in his title win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 last year. Meanwhile, Maddalena is considered of the fiercest punchers in the division with five finishes in seven straight UFC wins. The Australian hasn’t lost since his dropping his first two pro outings in 2016.