Belal Muhammad sustained severe injuries during his unsuccessful welterweight title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315.
Muhammad, who had claimed the 170lbs belt from Leon Edwards last July, was attempting his first title defense in the main event early Sunday morning.
However, his time as champion concluded with a unanimous decision defeat.
Della Maddalena, aged 28, showcased sharp striking from the beginning, repeatedly landing accurate punches on the former champion`s face. In the fifth round, a well-placed knee opened a significant gash under Muhammad`s left eye.
The full severity of Muhammad`s injuries wasn`t apparent until medical staff examined him backstage.
UFC President Dana White later shared a photo revealing the shocking extent of the damage. The image showed that in addition to the cut under his eye, Muhammad`s upper lip had been SPLIT IN HALF.
White commended the 36-year-old fighter`s toughness for continuing despite such gruesome injuries, describing the cut as something from a “horror movie.”
On his Instagram story, White posted the picture with the caption:
What a WAR!! Broken nose, orbital and split lip. #Respect.
The severity of his injuries was such that Muhammad was quickly taken backstage without participating in a post-fight interview.
Muhammad later commented on the defeat via X (formerly Twitter), writing:
Allah`s plan is the best plan.
Alhamdillah for everything. Thank you to all my supporters. I`ve been here before and I`ll be back.
With this win, Jack Della Maddalena became only the third Australian fighter to claim UFC gold.
Expressing his feelings, he stated:
It’s exactly how I thought it would feel. It feels f***ing good.
He added,
I knew I had to be smart on my feet. I should have been a bit sharper with the shots. Coming in there against someone like Belal with that pressure wrestling, I knew I had to be smart. I thought I was ahead, I wanted to take him out of there. Belal’s the man, he’s a tough dude. Australia, we got three of these babies. Let’s go!
Percy Harlow