Javier Mendez disagrees with Belal Muhammad's approach in his UFC 315 title loss, but understands why he did it.
Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) opted to predominantly strike in his unanimous decision loss to Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event at Bell Centre in Montreal. As a result, he suffered a broken nose, orbital bone, and a split lip.
Mendez recalls former undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's eagerness to show off his striking and prove that he's not just an elite grappler. While Nurmagomedov never paid for it when he stood and traded with Al Iaquinta in their vacant title fight at UFC 223, Muhammad did against Della Maddalena.