UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad isn’t known for his finishing prowess — but according to him, that changes this weekend.

Muhammad makes the first defence of his 170-pound championship in the UFC 315 headline fight where he takes on Australia’s surging contender Jack Della Maddalena — a bout which came about after original top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to compete due to injury.

And Muhammad says that against a fighter known for his boxing and sharp elbows, it will instead be him who sends his opponent to the canvas and staring up at the lights.

“I’m gonna knock him out,” Muhammad told The Mac Life and other reporters in Montreal on Wednesday.

“I’m gonna go in there and show that I’m the best boxer in the welterweight division, I’m the best fighter in the welterweight division, and I’m gonna show my dominance again.”

That might be easier said than done agains the 28-year-old Australian challenger. Della Maddalena is the winner of 17 straight fights and hasn’t experienced defeat since starting his career 0-2 back in 2016. Since then, he has announced himself as a world class welterweight fighter and stands on the verge of becoming the UFC champion.

But as far as Muhammad is concerned, it is him who is being underrated in advance of the contest.

“I think everything about me is underrated. People go in there and assume stuff, but when they get into the cage with me then they realise what it is. They realise what these hands do, they realise what this pressure does, and it breaks everybody.”

We find out for sure on Saturday night.