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

MONTREAL – Jack Della Maddalena took away Belal Muhammad’s potent wrestling ability, allowing only one takedown en route to becoming the new welterweight champion in the main event of UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal.

He won the mixed martial arts five-rounder by scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.

The Australian 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) of the United States was making his first title defence and had won 11 consecutive fights.

Della Maddalena credited Muhammad’s toughness but said post-fight that he knew he was not going to let it slip away.

“It felt (expletive) good,” the 28-year-old said with a smile.

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

“I think it’s a beautiful challenge. He’s the pound-for-pound No. 1. I want to get him back for Volk,” he added.

Meanwhile, it is the first loss for 36-year-old 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) her first UFC loss.

Despite a closely contested fight, Shevchenko (25-4, 1 NC) 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 gruelling rounds.

“I expected a hard fight,” Shevchenko, who is from Kyrgyzstan, said in the Octagon following the win.

The victory marked her 14th in the UFC, including 10 title fights.

Initially scheduled