Belal Muhammad releases statement after UFC 315 title loss to Della Maddalena

In the hours after his UFC 315 title loss, Belal Muhammad broke his silence with a simple message to fans: “Allah’s plan is the best plan. Alhamdillah for everything. Thank you to all my supporters. I been here before and I’ll be back.”

The former welterweight champion lost to Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision in Montreal on Saturday night. All three judges scored the five-round contest in favour of the Australian, who was defending his title for the first time.

The defeat snapped Muhammad’s six-year unbeaten run. His last loss came in 2019 to Geoff Neal, after which he went on an 11-fight winning streak. That run included a no-contest against Leon Edwards due to an accidental eye poke, a fight Muhammad would later settle by defeating Edwards at UFC 304 to claim the belt.

Now out of the title picture, an immediate rematch appears unlikely. The welterweight division is stacked, and new contenders are lining up. Among them is Islam Makhachev, Muhammad’s training partner and current lightweight champion, who has expressed interest in moving up.

Potential next opponents include Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Sean Brady, or the winners of bouts involving Gilbert Burns, Michael Morales, Kamaru Usman, and Joaquin Buckley.

Muhammad, 35, has come back from setbacks before. And based on his statement, he plans to do it again