Jack Della Maddalena ends Belal Muhammad's title reign at UFC 315

Jack Della Maddalena took away Belal Muhammad's potent wrestling ability, only allowing one takedown en route to becoming the new welterweight champion in the main event of UFC 315 on Saturday night in Montreal.

He won the five-rounder by scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-45.

Della Maddalena used volume striking to frustrate the now-former welterweight champion, nearly finishing the fight on several occasions. Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA) has now won 18 in a row. Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC) was making his first title defense and had won 11 consecutive fights.

Della Maddalena credited Muhammad's toughness but said post-fight that he knew he wasn't going to let it slip away.

"It felt (expletive) good," the Australian Della Maddalena said with a smile.

Della Maddalena said he's intrigued by UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's possible move to welterweight and he's open to exacting revenge on the Russian. His fellow Australian, Alexander Volkanovski, lost both bouts to Makhachev.

It's the first loss for Muhammad, a Chicago native, since January 2019.

Valentina Shevchenko successfully defended her UFC women's flyweight title in the co-main event over Manon Fiorot, winning a unanimous decision 48-47, 48-47, 48-47 to hand Fiorot (12-2 MMA) her first UFC loss.

Despite a closely contested fight, Shevchenko (25-4, 1 NC MMA) pushed the pace in rounds 4 and 5 to tire out Fiorot and give the Frenchwoman little room to work after signs of early success through three grueling rounds.

"I expected a hard fight," Shevchenko, a 125-pounder from Kyrgyzstan, said in the Octagon following the win.

The victory marked Shevchenko's 14th in the UFC, including 10 title fights.

Initially scheduled as a bantamweight fight, Canadian featherweight Aiemann Zahabi earned a win by unanimous decision against former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, taking the three scorecards by matching 29-28 scores.

Aldo nearly finished Zahabi in Round 3 with a head kick, followed by a flurry of strikes. However, Zahabi was able to survive Aldo's attacks, gain the top position, and open a cut on Aldo.

The win for Zahabi (13-2 MMA) marked Brazilian Aldo's (32-10) final MMA fight, announcing his retirement in the Octagon.

"I just don't have it in my heart anymore," said Aldo, 38. "I think this is the last time you're going to see me."

Women's flyweight Natalia Silva of Brazil knocked off former champion Alexa Grasso from her top-contender status with a unanimous decision win, all by 30-27 scores.

Silva (19-5-1 MMA) has won her first six UFC fights, while Mexico's Grasso (16-5-1 MMA) has to return to the drawing board to remain in contention. Silva opened a noticeable cut above Grasso's eyelid, swinging the momentum in Round 2 before a one-sided Round 3 followed suit with dominant kickboxing ability.

Lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis of France had no trouble beating Canadian Kyle Prepolec, a late replacement, with an arm triangle choke at 2:35 of the second round.

It was Saint-Denis' (14-3) first win since November 2023, snapping a two-fight losing skid. Prepolec (18-9) stepped in for Joel Alvarez (22-3) and made his first Octagon appearance since 2019.

--Field Level Media