MONTREAL — The UFC has a new welterweight champion. His name is Jack Della Maddalena (18-2).
The 28-year-old Australian claimed the title from Palestinian-American Belal (Remember The Name) Muhammad (24-4) at UFC 315 in front of 19,786 raucous fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday night.
The belt changed hands after the judges’ unanimous decision in favour of Della Maddalena (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). Della Maddalena ran his unbeaten streak in the UFC to eight and to 18 overall with the win.
“I thought it was going to be a tough fight and it was a tough fight,” said Della Maddalena. “I feel like I confused him with the footwork, just thinking back. It all worked out well.
I tried to visualize winning, but obviously, it was a special feeling to get the belt.”
Muhammad failed to defend his title he obtained from Leon Edwards at UFC 304 last summer.
The co-main event saw Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko (25-5-1) conserve her women’s flyweight title thanks to a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-37, 48-47) in her five-round fight against France’s Manon (The Beast) Fiorot (12-2).
Both fighters were relatively evenly matched through the opening three rounds before Shevchenko pulled away in the fourth, sending Fiorot to the ground with a right hook.
“I knew coming into the fight that it was going to be a hard fight,” said Shevchenko. “My opponent got into this challenge for the belt for a reason. You cannot expect an easy fight from this kind of person.”
It marked the 37-year-old Kyrgyzstan native’s first defence of her title in her second stint as flyweight champion. She is 11-1-1 in her last 13 bouts.
In another women’s main card flyweight bout, Brazilian Natalia Silva (19-5-1) also emerged victorious with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) against former champion Alexa Grasso (16-5-1). The number-five ranked Silva has won 13 straight fights, including seven consecutive wins inside the UFC octagon.
LOCAL HERO PUTS AN END TO JOSE ALDO’S CAREER
Laval, Que.’s Aiemann Zahabi (13-2) shocked UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo (32-10) of Brazil in their featherweight main card fight. Zahabi won in a come-from-behind unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), turning it on in the third and final round with continued blows to a bloodied Aldo.
Zahabi, who had three-time welterweight champion and Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Georges St-Pierre in his corner for the fight, has now won six straight fights.
Following the loss, 38-year-old Aldo announced his retirement from MMA fighting after a storied 21-year career, telling the crowd through an interpreter “I don’t think I have it in me anymore.” Aldo had previously retired in 2022 but returned to the octagon last year.
“Most MMA guys, they like to stick around a little longer than they should, but I can never say anything bad about Aldo,” said Zahabi. “He’s a great guy and no one should forget how great of a fighter he is. He gave me the fight of my life tonight.”
O CANADA!
Other Canadian fighters also impressed in Montreal.
(Proper) Mike Malott of Burlington, Ont (12-2-1). won his fight with American Charles (Chuck Buffalo) Radtke (10-5) by knockout 26 seconds into round two of their welterweight bout.
“This is the loudest crowd I’ve ever heard,” said a bare-chested Malott following the fight, the Canadian flag draped around his neck. “It was so sick. I got to feel like the man. I walked out and just tried to soak it all up. You only get this feeling so many times in your life.”
In the women’s flyweight division, Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-3) took down Brazilian Jessia (Bate Estaca) Andrade (26-14) by submission just over halfway through the first round of their fight.
The 36-year-old St. Catherines, Ont. native secured her fifth consecutive win, toppling Andrade to the ground before pinning her opponent down in a rear-naked chokehold.
Meanwhile, Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault (17-9) of Gatineau, Que. knocked out 35-year-old Brazilian opponent Bruno (Blindado) Silva (23-13) 1:27 into the opening round of their middleweight bout, thanks to an elbow struck to the side of Silva’s head. Silva was forced to leave the octagon on a stretcher.
The 35-year-old snapped a three-fight losing streak, winning by knockout for the first time since March 2023.
“I feel like I have had my ups and downs, but I always worked hard and proved that I’m open-minded to evolve and be the best version of myself,” said Barriault. “That’s what I did after my last fight, especially after a brutal injury (a broken leg)."
It wasn’t entirely a success for the Canadian contingent of fighters in Montreal, however.
Benoit (God of War) Saint-Denis (14-3) defeated Windsor, Ont.’s Kyle (Killshot) Prepolec (12-8) by submission in the opening main card fight. The Frenchman took down the Canadian with an arm-triangle choke midway through the second round.
Kazakh Bekzat (The Turan Warrior) Almakhan (12-2) made quick work of Winnipeg’s Brad (Superman) Katona (16-5), knocking out the 33-year-old with a perfectly landed uppercut just over one minute into the first round of the opening preliminary bout.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2025.
Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press
