UFC 315 looms this Saturday night from Canada. With the ongoing PFL World Tournament on hiatus until next month, the schedule for MMA might seem a little bit bare as we get toward the middle of the month of May on the calendar, but believe us when we say that the cupboard for competitive violence is far from empty.
On the night before Americans celebrate the Mother’s Day holiday, do something nice with your mom: Invite her over to your house to watch fights, if, of course, she doesn’t invite you to her house first for UFC 315. It sure as heck beats a bouquet of roses that might wilt by Father’s Day.
Live coverage of Saturday night’s event begins with the early prelims at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass (worldwide) and ESPN+ (inside the United States). Late prelims follow at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN proper in addition to ESPN+.
The five-fight main card to cap off a 12-fight event starts at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. Saturday’s event is highlighted by two title fights.
UFC 315 Main Event: UFC Welterweight Championship: [C] Belal Muhammad vs. No. 5 Contender Jack Della Maddalena
At the top of the bill this Saturday night at UFC 315, the UFC Welterweight Championship is at stake. Incumbent titleholder Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC MMA, 15-3, 1 NC UFC) will finally make his initial defense of the division’s strap when he meets challenger and No. 5 contender Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC.)
Both title fights to cap the card will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round, the UFC 315 headliner included. Belal Muhammad enters the main event of the evening having posted a record of 5-0 in his last five fights as part of his current 11-bout unbeaten streak.
Last July in London, he captured the welterweight title thanks to a unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards (22-5, 1 NC MMA, 14-4, 1 NC UFC) in London. After that contest, Muhammad was scheduled to have made his first defense of the title on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas, but this fight was postponed ahead of the show due to a bone infection.
He’s been out of competition for over nine months, but with a clean bill of health, will Muhammad’s first defense of the title be a successful one? Tune in and find out.
Meanwhile, Jack Della Maddalena enters UFC 315 in Montreal on Saturday night with a mark of 5-0 in his last five contests, having won 17 bouts in succession dating back to 2016. Last time out, he scored a third-round knockout (knee followed by ground and pound) versus Gilbert Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in March of 2014.
Maddalena has had a layoff of about 14 months going into UFC 315’s main event. How much ring rust does he have ahead of this title fight? More importantly, how will he handle the pressure of fighting for a world title in MMA’s top promotion?
UFC 315 Co-Main Event: UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship: Valentina Shevchenko vs. No. 2 Contender Manon Fiorot
Immediately prior, the UFC 315 co-main event sees the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship at stake when champion Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) takes on No. 2 contender Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC). The champ enters with a 3-1-1 record in her last five fights, going 1-1-1 in a trilogy against Alexa Grasso (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC), the last fight resulting in a victory last September from the Las Vegas Sphere.
Shevchenko is no stranger to holding the division’s championship, having originally won it in December of 2018 by way of unanimous decision versus Joanna Jedrezejczyk (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC). From there, she successfully defended the strap seven times before losing it to Alexa Grasso in the original bout of the trilogy.
Will Shevchenko’s championship pedigree serve her well again this time?
Across the way, Manon Fiorot comes into UFC 315 having gone 5-0 in her past five contests. At present, she’s won 14 fights in a row, counting exhibition fights not on her official record.
Back in March of last year, she bested Erin Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) by way of unanimous decision after five rounds in Atlantic City. Fiorot is on a tear of late, and the UFC 315 co-main event has both a title and territorial pride at stake for her this Saturday night.
With a win, Fiorot will become the first undisputed divisional champion to have been born in France. Previously, Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), scored the promotion’s interim heavyweight championship in August of 2021. That night, Gane knocked out Derrick Lewis in the third round of a scheduled five.
UFC 315: No. 11 Contender Jose Aldo vs. No. 15 Contender Aiemann Zahabi
Also on the main card of UFC 315, you’ll see a bantamweight contest pairing No. 11 contender Jose Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) against No. 15 contender Aiemann Zahabi (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC.) Aldo will be making his 42nd career walk to the cage on the strength of a 3-1-1 mark in his last five combat sports appearances.
Last October, he dropped a split decision at the hands of Mario Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) during UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, UT. Bautista will return to the Octagon next month. During the June 7 UFC 316, he’ll square off against Marlon Vera (23-10-1 MMA, 15-9 UFC.)
As far as Jose Aldo is concerned, he’s a seasoned veteran of the game with north of 40 fights to his credit at this point. Can he score his 33rd win this weekend?
In the other corner, Aiemann Zahabi has gone 5-0 in his last five contests under the UFC promotional banner. Most recently, he emerged victorious from his fight against 32-fight veteran Pedro Munhoz (20-10, 2 NC MMA, 10-10, 2 NC UFC) last November in Edmonton. This is Zahabi’s second straight fight in Canadian territory and second against veteran competition.
A victory here would lead to another high-profile fight next time out.
Final Thoughts
Which main card fight or fights are you looking forward to on UFC 315 this Saturday night? Let us know in the comments.
