Leon Edwards predicts Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315

Leon Edwards doesn't have high hopes for Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.

Photos by Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Leon Edwards has given his official prediction for the welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315.

Edwards was originally slated to fight Maddalena in the main event of UFC London before an announcement by Dana White revealed a re-booking. With Shavkat Rakhmonov unable to compete, Maddalena was pulled from UFC London and moved to UFC 315. In lieu of Maddalena, Edwards fights Sean Brady.

With a dominant win over Brady, Edwards could usurp Rakhmonov as the next title challenger to Belal Muhammad, especially if the 'Nomad' remains injured. As such, 'Rocky' has been keen to provide his insight into the intriguing matchup.

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Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Leon Edwards picks Jack Della Maddalena to upset Belal Muhammad at UFC 315

Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Edwards picked 'JDM' to dethrone Muhammad.

"If I could put money on it I'd probably favor JDM," Edwards remarked. "... My thing with JDM is his boxing will probably shut him down and he's a good anti-grappler, like you can take him down but his scrambles on the floor are good. I feel like Belal won't be enough to hold him down for that long"

Muhammad vs. Maddalena is very much a clash of styles as 'Remember The Name' has built a reputation for cage-control. Muhammad has won 80 percent of his UFC contests by decision, as opposed to Maddalena's 57 percent by knockout.

Belal Muhammad fights 2 opponents at UFC 315

Not only is Maddalena a tough stylistic matchup, but Muhammad will also have to contest with the age difference. Maddalena is a fresh 28, while Muhammad is 36 --- a notoriously hard age to win title fights within men's divisions below middleweight.

Muhammad actually broke the mold by defeating Edwards at UFC 304, becoming the first champion since Tyron Woodley to win a title fight aged 35 or above in men's divisions at welterweight and lower. The current record of older fighters in title fights (below middleweight) is 3-24; Muhammad would overcome insurmountable odds by winning again at UFC 315.

Name	Weight Class	Age	Defeated by
Joseph Benavidez	FLW	35	Deiveson Figueiredo
Joseph Benavidez	FLW	35	Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo	FLW	35	Brandon Moreno
Urijah Faber	BW	35	Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz	BW	35	Henry Cejudo
TJ Dillashaw	BW	36	Aljamain Sterling
Henry Cejudo	BW	36	Aljamain Sterling
Kenny Florian	FW	37	José Aldo
Frankie Edgar	FW	37	Max Holloway
Korean Zombie	FW	35	Alex Volkanovski
Josh Emmett	FW	37	Yair Rodriguez
Alex Volkanovski	FW	35	Ilia Topuria
Tony Ferguson	LW	36	Justin Gaethje
Michael Chandler	LW	35	Charles Oliveira
Alex Volkanovski	LW	35	Islam Makhachev
Justin Gaethje (BMF)	LW	35	Max Holloway
Pat Miletich	WW	35	Carlos Newton
Gil Castilo	WW	37	Matt Hughes
Demian Maia	WW	39	Tyron Woodley
Jorge Masvidal	WW	35	Kamaru Usman
Jorge Masvidal	WW	36	Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman	WW	35	Leon Edwards
Kamaru Usman	WW	35	Leon Edwards
Colby Covington	WW	35	Leon Edwards

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