UFC women`s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña offered a surprising opinion regarding her teammate Belal Muhammad`s defeat at UFC 315.
Belal Muhammad`s time as UFC welterweight champion concluded unexpectedly when he was defeated by Jack Della Maddalena last month at UFC 315 in Montreal. In a bout that many considered a candidate for `Fight of the Year`, Maddalena and Muhammad fought for the full duration, with Maddalena ultimately winning via unanimous decision.
Maddalena is now reportedly being set up for a likely future match against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is expected to vacate his lightweight title soon, which could pave the way for a fight with the new welterweight titleholder.
Muhammad has seemingly handled the impactful loss at UFC 315 with composure, despite facing considerable criticism after the fight. However, despite Muhammad`s reaction, his teammate believes the judges made an error at UFC 315.
Julianna Peña believes Belal Muhammad `got robbed` at UFC 315
Muhammad and UFC women`s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña have trained together for a long time in Chicago. Peña was actively involved in Muhammad`s training camp for UFC 315 and is convinced that Muhammad performed well enough to win on the scorecards and keep his UFC welterweight belt, which goes against the general public opinion.
During her media day press conference for UFC 316, Peña explained her perspective on why she felt Muhammad was unfairly treated by the judges at UFC 315.
“I didn’t think Belal lost. I watched that fight and was like ‘Yeah, we got it! He won!’, and then when they called it for the other guy, kudos to him, but I thought Belal won,” Peña stated.
She added, “I didn’t really give him any pep talk except for the fact that I said ‘Sorry my brother, you got robbed’.”
Muhammad has not explicitly stated that he felt he deserved to win at UFC 315, but he has expressed anticipation for his return to the Octagon later this year. Meanwhile, Peña is scheduled to compete against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 316 this Saturday in Newark.
Peña is not the only prominent figure who believed Muhammad should have retained his title. Jeremy Stephens, who returned to the Octagon last month at UFC Des Moines, scored the fight in favor of Muhammad even though he was personally supporting Maddalena.
Belal Muhammad had a confrontation with a UFC 316 fighter just days before the event
Leading up to his teammate`s fight at UFC 316, Muhammad engaged in a verbal dispute with another well-known fighter on the card this week following sharp comments made during a media day. UFC welterweight Kevin Holland admitted he was pleased to see Muhammad lose at UFC 315, which sparked a heated exchange between them on social media.
Holland is scheduled to face Vicente Luque this Saturday at UFC 316 as he makes his return to fighting. Earlier this year, he secured a victory over Gunnar Nelson at UFC London.
While it remains uncertain if Muhammad will be in the women`s bantamweight champion`s corner this weekend, the former welterweight titleholder continues to draw attention.
Gareth Pendleton