UFC 315
Review
An unforgettable evening in Montreal
Jack Della Maddalena dethrones Belal
Volkanovski ist erneut Federgewichts-Champion
Jack Della Maddalena is the new UFC welterweight champion. In a thrilling fight, the Australian defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46), celebrating his eighth consecutive UFC victory—and his 18th overall.
Della Maddalena dominated the early rounds standing up, demonstrated precision in her exchanges, and remained unfazed by Muhammad's late offensive. Although the defending champion applied more pressure in the third and fourth rounds and landed a takedown with ground-and-pound in the fifth, it was ultimately Della Maddalena who won the fight with a strong finish.
This makes him the third Australian UFC champion after Robert Whittaker and Alexander Volkanovski – and another figurehead of Dana White's Contender Series.
Valentina Shevchenko remains flyweight queen
Das Maß aller Dinge
Valentina Shevchenko defended her title against the strong Frenchwoman Manon Fiorot in a close and intense fight – by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).
The title holder started strongly, scoring with precise counters and dominating the first round. Fiorot came into the fight better in the second, while the third remained evenly matched. In the fourth round, Shevchenko made a statement with a right hook and a takedown, but in the fifth, Fiorot controlled the clinch for long stretches.
Ultimately, details decided the fight – and “Bullet” proved once again why she is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history
Aiemann Zahabi celebrated the biggest victory of his career, defeating UFC legend José Aldo in a close fight by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Although Aldo started strongly and Zahabi was on edge early on, the local hero turned it around in the second half and dominated the final spurt. After the fight, Aldo laid down his gloves – an emotional farewell for the Brazilian superstar.
Natalia Silva remained ice-cold against Alexa Grasso. The Brazilian impressed with her footwork, speed, and striking precision. She barely gave the former champion room to breathe and won by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Silva celebrated her seventh consecutive UFC victory and is now considered a hot contender for a flyweight title shot.
Benoît Saint Denis left no room for doubt against Kyle Prepolec. The Frenchman dominated the Canadian in grappling from the start, landing hard strikes while standing, and ending the fight with an arm triangle choke in the second round (2:35). A dominant performance and a clear statement in the lightweight division.
UFC 315 was a fantastic event, and the fans in Montreal were thrilled. Finally, here are the bonuses of the evening:
Fight of the Night: Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della-Maddalena
Performances of the Night: Jasmine Jasudavicius, Marc-André Barriault
A great evening for everyone, especially the Canadian UFC fans!
What happens next?
Della Maddalena made the most of his unique opportunity to challenge for the welterweight title. What's coming up next is in a whole new realm. P4P #1 Islam Makhachev will move up to welterweight and attempt to become a double champion. New champion Jack Della-Maddalena awaits there.
This also means that the "superfight" between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev is on hold until further notice. As Dana White announced today, "El Matador" will now face Charles Oliviera for lightweight gold at UFC 317. He also announced two more championship fights: Pantoja vs. Kara-France (flyweight) and Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev (middleweight).
We can hardly wait!