For the first time in a decade, the UFC arrived to Montreal, looking to bring the Bell Centre a night of memorable action with two title fights and some rising stars to watch out for.
It was the UFC’s first visit to the biggest city in the Canadian province of Quebec since UFC 186 in 2015 — a card that was headlined by Demetrious Johnson retaining the UFC flyweight title against Kyoji Horiguchui.
Though Canadian talent was featured during the course of the evening, the main event’s focus was on the welterweight championship clash between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
Muhammad had entered UFC 315 on an unbeaten streak that stretched back to 2019. He had risen his way up the ranks and all the way up to the UFC championship, taking out names such as Demian Maia, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns. He captured the gold with a decision win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304.
Standing across the cage from him was Jack Della Maddalena — who was given this opportunity a couple of months ago when Shavkat Rakhmonov was still unable to make the walk due to injury. JDM hadn’t lost since dropping his first two bouts as a pro and was a perfect 7-0 in the UFC. It was also JDM’s first fight since defeating Burns at UFC 299 last year.
Gold was also on the line in the co-main event as Valentina Shevchenko looked to defend the UFC women’s flyweight championship against Manon Fiorot.
This was Shevchenko’s first fight not against Alexa Grasso since recapturing the 125-pound title in their trilogy fight back in September. Outside of the 20 months or so that Grasso was wearing the gold, Shevchenko had been dominating the division since winning the title at UFC 231 in December 2018. Most, if not all, challengers that came up against her were completely outclassed.
Like her title challenger counterpart on the evening, Fiorot hadn’t lost a fight since her own professional MMA debut. Fiorot had quickly made impressions since entering the UFC, taking out notable names in the division that included Mayra Bueno Silva, Jennifer Maia, Katlyn Cerminara, Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield.
Who delivered in Canada? Who didn’t? Let’s go into it together with the hits and misses of UFC 315!
Hit – Hometown Hero Barriault
I had been in debate about whether or not to include this, given Bruno Silva being stretchered out at the end of this fight. But with Silva seemingly okay in the UFC’s updates, and “bonuses” misses I need to give, I’ve decided to give this a hit.
Marc-André Barriault had one of the earliest strong performances on the night, finishing Silva during the early prelims. After both men landed big early and Silva momentarily dumped Barriault to the mat, Barriault put Silva away with some vicious elbows in the clinch. They didn’t just do big damage, but one of them dropped Silva out cold.
It was an incredible and much-needed performance for Barriault. Coming into this fight off three straight losses, Barriault may have been facing the chopping block with a loss here. Instead, he gets to have a major knockout and memorable performance in front of a crowd in his home country.
Miss – Whatever Those Judges’ Scorecards Were
To quote commentary after Melvin Manhoef vs. Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 155, “The only thing more disappointing than that fight, was that horrendous decision.” Not only was Mondestas Bukauskas vs. Ion Cutelaba a letdown, but the nature of the bout’s decision left MMA fans either scratching their heads or filled with rage.
Though it wasn’t his most exciting performance, Cutelaba appeared to do enough over three rounds. He applied early pressured, delivered damaging calf kicks and had strong clinch work. Though Bukauskas had his moments — especially in the final round where he stuffed takedowns and landed counters — his overall output was inconsistent. Despite Cutelaba’s early work, the judges were split in baffling fashion.
Even if you don’t consider this fight a robbery, the nature of the scorecards being all over the place is what is confusing. How do we get to a point where there is a 30-27 scorecard for one fighter and a 30-27 for the other? How the heck did Pasquale Procopio see all three rounds for Bukauskas anyway? There are more questions than answers, and we’re never going to get any (I have problems with two judges giving Belal Muhammad round one in his fight against Jack Della Maddalena, too, but I digress…)
Once again, coming out of an MMA card, we’re talking about bad judging. How is it 2025 and we’re still on this? It’s tiring, and if we’re not going to get the Global/PRIDE scoring system into the Unified Rules of MMA, then why can’t we at least hear from judges after controversial scorecards like these? Sadly, that’ll never happen.
Hit – Jasmine Jasudavicius On The Rise
I’ve been a fan of Jasmine Jasudavicius for a little while now, and it’s clear that she may be a future star in the flyweight division after the performance she put on in the win over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
Using her physical advantages, Jasudavicius overwhelmed Andrade on the feet before taking her down with ease. She then swiftly transitioned into a rear-naked choke for the submission win.
The performance was as emphatic as it was efficient, pushing Jasudavicius firmly into title contention. Will she be next in line for a shot at the title? No. But this fight has shown she’s ready for top competition. And it will be interesting to see what Jasudavicius can do against another notable contender in the division right now — be it former champ Alexa Grasso, Erin Blanchfield, Maycee Barber or Rose Namajunas.
Hit – Is Natalia Silva Ready For A Title Shot?
Jasmine Jasudavicius may be still another couple of fights away from a title shot. Natalia Silva, on the other hand, may be next in line after her strong win over former champion Alexa Grasso.
Silva utilized her speed and sharp strikes to control all three rounds against the former champion. Silva repeatedly found success with leg kicks, quick combinations and slick footwork, while Grasso struggled to find openings and momentum.
Silva has now scored victories over two former UFC champions in Jessica Andrade and Grasso. And the kind of performance she put on against the very woman who interrupted Valentina Shevchenko’s dominance at 125 might be enough to make her next in line for the gold. If not, a title eliminator against another top-5 ranked performer isn’t out of the question — and a win there would make it undeniable.
Hit – A Wild Third Round Between Jose Aldo And Aiemann Zahabi
Jose Aldo’s MMA career might not have ended with a win or a tribute video package. But it did end with an exciting bout against Aiemann Zahabi that included a final round that could be up for Round of the Year nominations in any MMA End of Year awards.
Aldo’s forward pressure and combinations had brought him an early edge in the fight, but a strong performance in the second round from Zahabi made the fight close. The third round, however, saw wild momentum swings. Aldo dropped Zahabi early but couldn’t find the finish. A fatigued Aldo when saw Zahabi capitalize, unloading punches, elbows, and ground-and-pound as he looked for a finish of his own. In a fight that saw so close, Zahabi’s late momentum in the final two rounds earned him the nod in a fight that could have been scored either way.
Though Zahabi is 37, this win continues a string of success he has been on for the last five years now. People will have their opinions on how he’d perform against the best contenders in a stacked bantamweight division, but it can’t be denied that he’s at least earned the opportunity to fight a top-10 contender at 135 now.
Hit – A Tribute To A Legendary Career
I could focus on Aldo’s weight issues entering this week. I could focus on his gas tank emptying out during the flurry in the third round. But I’m not going to do any of that.
I’m instead going to take the time and pay my respects to one of the greatest careers this sport has seen. Jose Aldo is one of the reasons we talk about the lighter weight classes in the modern day and age of MMA. During the times when the UFC wasn’t hosting fights below 155 pounds, people like Jose Aldo were making a killing and showing their talents. Aldo dominated the featherweight scene in the WEC, and that continued when he became the inaugural UFC featherweight champion, pulling off victory after victory before competing against Conor McGregor at UFC 194 — one of the industry’s most memorable and highly publicized title fights.
From Cub Swanson to Urijah Faber, from Chad Mendes to “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung-Jung, from Frankie Edgar to Max Holloway, Jose Aldo has been in the cage with some of the greatest to ever be in this sport. And not only did he dominate in his prime, but Aldo even showed he could still go as he nears 39 years of age.
A happy retirement to the legend and UFC Hall of Famer! A toast to his memorable career!
Hit – One Step Closer To The Next Women’s Superfight?
There were plenty of questions about Valentina Shevchenko heading into this fight. In spite of winning back the women’s flyweight title in September, the interruption to her reign, combined with Manon Fiorot’s size and winning streak, led to Shevchenko being pegged as the underdog heading into this fight despite being defending champ.
But Shevchenko proved how oddsmakers sometimes just don’t get it.
Shevchenko started strong with sharp striking and a takedown in the first round, but Fiorot took control in the middle rounds with clinch control and increased aggression. Shevchenko tried to take momentum back in the fourth with powerful body kicks, a takedown, and a knockdown in the closing seconds. The fifth round remained tight, but Shevchenko’s consistency and impactful moments throughout earned her the unanimous decision on all three scorecards.
So, what’s next for Shevchenko? There are still a couple of names in contention (like the aforementioned Silva and Jasudavicius). But, of course, the fight plenty of people want to see is a superfight between Shevchenko and women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Zhang will probably still have to deal with Virna Jandiroba, then depending on if the UFC matchmakers want Silva as the next flyweight challenger or not, a Zhang win there could mean there can’t be another fight but it.
Hit – JDM Turns Opportunity Into Gold
Jack Della Maddalena would have gotten the opportunity to be a champion tonight. He was supposed to be fighting in the main event of UFC London a couple of months ago, taking on Leon Edwards. But with Shavkat Rakhmonov still on the sidelines, JDM was granted the chance to challenge Belal Muhammad. Now, after 25 minutes in the Octagon, JDM has managed to turn a sudden chance into a jackpot, walking out of UFC 315 the new UFC welterweight champion.
JDM largely dictated the pace with technical striking. Muhammad held his own early and even managed to secure some positional control late, including a takedown and brief back control in round four. JDM’s striking volume and accuracy, as well as his ability to stuff takedowns, however, kept him in control for most of the fight. Despite Muhammad’s best efforts in the fifth, including a moment where he appeared to wobble his challenger in the fifth and landed ground control, JDM consistently rebounded and reasserted his rhythm, likely sealing a close but clear decision win and the championship.
You have to feel good for someone like JDM completing his rise toward the gold. This opens up a lot of potential options for what could be next at 170, and here’s hoping that this injects some excitement in the division.
On that note of what could be next, however…
Miss – No Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria?
A longstanding belief heading into this past weekend’s card was that a JDM win would result in Islam Makhachev moving up to 170 to challenge him for the UFC welterweight championship. That very well may still be the case even though there’s no official announcement yet.
But it those are the plans, then unfortunately JDM’s victory brings us a monkey’s paw scenario. As it would mean a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria would be off.
Let me state this for the record: I was not a fan of Topuria’s decision to vacate the featherweight championship. Though he won the belt and retained it once against two of the greats in, respectively, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway (the former of whom has now regained the title), there were still fights to be had for Topuria at 145. He didn’t clear the division; Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev were chomping at the bit for title opportunities. Topuria’s reign was supposed to present us with fresh ideas for the division.
That said, if we don’t get to see Topuria vs. Makhachev, it will be a disappoint. These two are without question two of the best athletes in the sport. And in a time when we say MMA is in a recession, in a time when Jon Jones seems to not want to unify the heavyweight title with Tom Aspinall, in a time in which the sport’s biggest star ever in Conor McGregor appears to be out of the picture for good now (for better or worse [maybe and instead of or]), and when one of the UFC’s other pound-for-pound names in Alex Pereira appears to be having negotiation issues with the promotion, a major fight like Topuria vs. Makhachev is a welcome sight.
Topuria vs. Oliveira and JDM vs. Makhachev are solid fights, but it will be a case of “what could have been” if this is the case. And if Topuria vs. Makhachev does ever end up getting booked, we’d hope it’s not a case of “[insert timeframe here] too late.”
But on that note…
Miss – STILL No UFC 317 Main Event?
UFC CEO Dana White promised us an answer to the questions regarding a UFC 317 main event (including the situations seen above) following UFC 315. But lo and behold, UFC 315 has come and gone, and we still don’t have an answer.
White didn’t even appear at the press conference. Instead, Dave Shaw, the UFC’s Senior Vice President of International Operations, was there and promised an answer would be delivered in the coming week.
To which my response is, it better.
From the time of this piece’s publication, we are 47 days out from UFC 317, which is this year’s International Fight Week card. It’s had it’s fair share of shake-ups to main events in its history, but it’s always an event UFC puts a lot of stock into.
And with just under seven weeks to go, an event that has all these attached events to it — a Hall of Fame induction ceremony, fan expo, etc. — has no announced main event. Even UFC 318 to be held the following month has a main event announced.
UFC 315 was supposed to give us answers. Right now we’re still left with questions, and if we don’t get answers in a few days time, the UFC needs to be given even more flack.
