Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena claimed the UFC welterweight championship on Saturday night at UFC 315, nullifying Belal Muhammad’s famed wrestling en route to a hard-fought unanimous decision victory.
The bout headlined a packed card at the Bell Centre, with Della Maddalena securing scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-45 from the judges to bring Muhammad’s 11-fight win streak to an end. The Australian, now 18-2 in mixed martial arts, extended his own winning run to 18.
Utilising a relentless striking volume, Della Maddalena repeatedly put the now-former champion on the back foot, nearly finishing the contest on multiple occasions. Crucially, he limited Muhammad to just one successful takedown — a stark departure from the Chicago native’s usual dominance on the ground.
Post-fight, Della Maddalena praised Muhammad’s resilience but made clear he had no intention of letting the opportunity slip through his fingers.
“It felt [expletive] good,” he said with a grin inside the Octagon. The new champion also expressed interest in a potential showdown with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who is rumoured to be considering a move up to welterweight — possibly opening the door for an Australian revenge mission following Makhachev’s two wins over Alexander Volkanovski.
The loss marked Muhammad’s first since January 2019, ending a near-six-year unbeaten run.
In the co-main event, Kyrgyzstani flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko retained her title with a narrow but unanimous decision over France’s Manon Fiorot. All three judges scored the five-round contest 48-47 in Shevchenko’s favour, with the champion pulling ahead in the final two rounds after a tightly contested start.
“I expected a hard fight,” said Shevchenko, who now boasts 14 UFC victories, including 10 in title bouts. Fiorot, meanwhile, suffered her first UFC defeat, slipping to 12-2 in her professional career.
Elsewhere on the main card, Canadian Aiemann Zahabi secured a significant win over veteran Jose Aldo, defeating the former featherweight champion via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Zahabi, who improved to 13-2, weathered a late storm in the third round before taking control and opening a cut on Aldo, who subsequently announced his retirement from MMA.
“I just don’t have it in my heart any more,” said the Brazilian icon, 38, after his 42nd professional fight. “I think this is the last time you’re going to see me.”
Brazil’s Natalia Silva also made a statement in the women’s flyweight division, outclassing former champion Alexa Grasso over three rounds. All judges awarded Silva a 30-27 win, cementing her sixth straight UFC victory and handing Grasso her first loss since 2021. A sharp cut opened over Grasso’s eyelid in Round 2 shifted the momentum decisively in Silva’s favour.
Meanwhile, France’s Benoît Saint-Denis returned to winning ways in style, dispatching Canada’s Kyle Prepolec with an arm triangle choke in the second round (2:35). The victory snapped a two-fight skid for Saint-Denis and marked Prepolec’s first UFC appearance since 2019, having stepped in on short notice to replace Joel Alvarez.
UFC 315 delivered drama, farewells, and fresh championship narratives, setting the tone for an intriguing second half of the promotion’s 2025 calendar.
