UFC 322: Belal Muhammad breaks down how Islam Makhachev dominated Jack Della Maddalena

Islam Makhachev beat Jack Della Maddalena even more dominantly than Makhachev's supporters expected at UFC 322. For Belal Muhammad, much of Makhachev's success came from things you can't easily see. 

Though Makahchev was a significant betting favorite at UFC 322, many saw potential in Della Maddalena's evolved grappling defense. Della Maddalena fended off six takedowns and minimized Belal Muhammad's ground control time to win the welterweight title in May. Against Makhachev, Della Maddalena managed to do little more than survive -- failing to stop a single takedown and spending more than 19 of the fight's 25 minutes on bottom.

"He was taking him down in the open and wouldn't let him get out of half guard. Islam on top is very hard to get up from," Muhammad, a training partner of Makhachev's, told CBS Sports ahead of his fight with Ian Machado Garry on Saturday. "If you've never felt it before, you don't want your first time being in the cage. It's shocking.

"You could tell for Jack, it was that same feeling. He got to the point where he was giving up easier takedowns as the rounds went deeper."

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Makhachev and UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov specialize in leveraging their entire body weight on the ground. The positioning requires a nuanced understanding of body awareness that escapes most fighters. 

"They've been doing it their whole lives," Muhammad said. "They use their whole body. So many guys only use their upper half or lower half."

Makhachev's ascent to welterweight champion puts Muhammad in a tricky position. Muhammad and Makhachev have repeatedly rejected the idea of fighting each other. Makhachev once confessed that Muhammad winning the welterweight title complicated matters and Muhammad had previously claimed he'd rather move up to middleweight than scrap with his teammate. Asked if this was Muhammad's last welterweight fight, particularly if he beats Garry, the former champ was noncommittal. 

"No, I'm the top of the division," Muhammad said. "For me, it's full focus on Ian Garry. It's about dominating Ian. Nothing else matters to me but this Saturday. Everyone will ask about the past or future; we're looking at the present. I need to remind the world of who I am."

Muhammad clarified that he'd share more about his fighting future, in light of Makhachev's ascension, after Saturday. In the meantime, he's determined to leave an impression after Michael Morales and Carlos Prates elevated their stocks with knockout wins over Sean Brady and Leon Edwards, respectively, at UFC 322.

"For myself, I have to outperform both of them. Morales is a monster. I've trained with him..." Muhammad said. "I would definitely give it to Morales because Brady was on a really good streak, and Leon Edwards was on a losing streak. But to finish, Leon Edwards standing up, you have to give him props. He's been knocking all of these guys out. They're both monsters."

Muhammad vs. Garry serves as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The event is headlined by top lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker.