Ex-welterweight title challenger has fought Muhammad and Della Maddalena
Gilbert Burns thinks too many people are counting out Jack Della Maddalen at UFC 315.
Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) challenges welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the May 10 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Della Maddalena is a moderate underdog against Muhammad, and many top contenders in his division such as Sean Brady and Ian Machado Garry are picking the champion to win. Burns, who’s fought both Muhammad and Della Maddalena, thinks the odds are not reflective of how he sees the fight playing out.
“Belal Muhammad is very, very tough right now,” Burns told MMA Junkie Radio. “(He has) crazy cardio, amazing cardio, very high IQ. (He’s) getting better everywhere – quick hands, hard kicks. (He has a) good team. His team is very good. They do a good strategy every time. He always shows up in good shape – but so does JDM. JDM is super underrated. People have no idea. That guy hits so hard. (He has) very clean boxing, good takedown defense, good scrambling. His jiu-jitsu is getting so much better. He’s training with Craig Jones, with (Alexander) Volkanovski. He’s so good that this fight is closer than people think.
“People are kind of counting JDM out, but JDM is a problem. … I think Belal is going to struggle a lot in the striking. JDM is not going anywhere. That guy is going to stay there. I was taking Belal as a favorite, but I’m kind of changing. That fight is super, super close. Belal has the speed advantage for sure in the cardio, but JDM is a monster, too. He hits very hard. He’s not going to get finished. He’s not going to get knocked out. His cardio is looking very good. I’m kind of maybe changing. I think it’s going to be a very close fight.”
Former title challenger Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight losing skid when he takes on rising welterweight Michael Morales (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) May 17 in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).
