At UFC 315 on May 10th in Montreal, Jack Della Maddalena became the new welterweight champion after extending his impressive win streak. Della Maddalena secured a decision victory over Belal Muhammad across five rounds, with all official scorecards favoring him.
However, some observers argued that the reigning champion, Muhammad, deserved the win, a sentiment Della Maddalena himself addressed on social media. Despite many fans believing the challenger was clearly dominating the fight, the judges saw a much closer contest, with the outcome hanging in the balance on two scorecards entering the fifth and final round. This surprising scoring led commentator Jon Anik to propose the implementation of open scoring, suggesting it might have altered both fighters` strategies in the critical closing minutes upon realizing the closeness of the fight.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Jack Della Maddalena’s coach believed they were heading towards a comfortable win before seeing the scorecards
Following his fighter`s championship victory, Jack Della Maddalena`s coach, Ben Vickers, garnered significant attention for the corner instructions he delivered before the fifth round. His passionate, expletive-laden speech essentially urged `JDM` to continue pushing the pace while avoiding unnecessary risks.
Vickers reflected on the reaction to his corner advice in a recent interview, stating that he gave that particular guidance because he was absolutely convinced they were leading comfortably and couldn`t lose the fight unless Della Maddalena was finished. “Well, I was actually convinced Jack was 4-0 up, honestly. So it could’ve gone horribly wrong. I really, having watched the fight back on a few occasions, I’m really baffled by the scoring. I thought we were cruising. I mean I thought he may have lost the fourth, it was a close round.”
He elaborated that his typical pessimism as a corner man was overridden by his belief that Della Maddalena was cruising and merely needed to avoid being stopped. Vickers felt confident that Belal Muhammad lacked the power to finish his fighter. His primary concern was preventing Della Maddalena, known for seeking finishes, from making any rash mistakes. “I’m normally a pessimistic corner man but I was convinced that he was cruising and all he had to do was not get stopped and we know Belal couldn’t stop a bus at a bus stop. So, I just didn’t want him to do anything stupid because I know he loves a finish.”
However, the reality was starkly different, with the fight tied 2-2 on two scorecards entering the final round. Vickers acknowledged that while Della Maddalena likely didn`t *need* the encouragement, the fact that he got it was probably beneficial. “As it turns out, it was 2-2 going into the last. I don’t think Jack needed any encouragement but the fact that he got it was probably a good thing.” Fortunately, the challenger won the fifth round, preventing what could have been a very different outcome had Della Maddalena eased off under the false assumption of a secured belt.
The most crucial moment of Jack Della Maddalena vs Belal Muhammad occurred in the final round
With everything potentially on the line in the fifth round, Belal Muhammad had an opportunity to retain the welterweight title following a key moment. Approximately 90 seconds into the round, the champion secured one of his three takedowns during the fight and immediately began working on the ground with significant space available.
Just over a minute later, Della Maddalena successfully defended and pushed Muhammad away, returning to his feet. From that point onward, he dominated the remainder of the round with his striking. Had `Remember the Name` managed to maintain ground control over `JDM` for a substantial period in the fifth round, the judges` decision and the entire aftermath of UFC 315 could have unfolded differently.
