Recap: Two Title Fights Wow Fans as a New Champ is Crowned at UFC 315

The UFC put on quite a show for fans in Montreal tonight at UFC 315. While there were exciting fights all throughout this stacked card, the story of the night was the two championship headliners. Two very capable challengers stepped into the octagon and their showdowns with the champs did not disappoint.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 315 preview.

Prelim Highlights

There was some apparent hostility before the preliminary meeting between Ion Cutelaba and Modestas Bukauskas. The two light heavyweights traded strikes in the early going but Cutelaba was the much more active fighter. Bukauskas found some openings and landed some good shots, but Cutelaba out landed his opponent by a fairly wide margin. As the fight went on, Cutelaba attempted some wild and ill-advised spinning attacks but Bukauskas never took advantage. Bukauskas took the third round, landing some good punches but it appeared to be too little too late. That is, until Bruce Buffer announced a decision that UFC legend Daniel Cormier referred to as “trash" on commentary, awarding Bukauskas the decision victory. One judge somehow gave Bukauskas all three rounds, highlighting a frequent issue with the sport: questionable judging.

We got a very impressive performance from Jasmine Jasudavicius in her matchup with Jessica Andrade. The flyweight contender wasted no time securing a takedown and almost immediately transitioned to her opponent’s back. Just about halfway through the very first round, Jasudavicius locked up a choke and forced the UFC veteran to tap. It was a dominant performance and Jasudavicius could very well be looking at a championship opportunity very soon.

Main Card Highlights

Lightweight contender Benoit Saint Denis was a huge betting favorite in the opening bout of the main card and he wasted no time showing us why. He scored an early takedown and dominated the first round with one submission attempt after another. Kyle Prepolec defended well, he just didn’t have any kind of offense. Things changed in a big way in the second round though as Saint Denis suddenly seemed willing to stand up and Prepolec landed a couple of big punches. Suddenly, we had a fight. Saint Denis eventually got the better of the exchanges though and started pouring it on with vicious elbows. He secured another takedown and jumped on an arm triangle to lock up the submission win in dominant fashion.

Natalia Silva put on an absolute striking clinic in her contest against former champion Alexa Grasso. It was clear from the beginning that Silva was the much faster and more athletic fighter. Her constant movement created all kinds of problems for the former champ, who never really seemed to get her offense going. Silva consistently touched Grasso on the chin while also scoring plenty of points with her kicks. It was a clear decision victory for the woman who very well could be next in line for a shot at the title.

Bantamweight bout: Aiemann Zahabi def. Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo and Aiemann Zahabi put on a show for the Canadian fans. Aldo was clearly the more effective and powerful striker but Zahabi never backed down from the clearly dangerous strikes of the UFC legend. Zahabi had a moment in the closing seconds of the first round and fought a much closer second round, though Aldo still seemed to have the edge. The third round is where things got crazy. Aldo turned up the pressure in the early going and rocked Zahabi, spilling him backwards toward the cage. Aldo rushed in and landed a big head kick. Zahabi scrambled to the opposite end of the cage and Aldo repeated his blitz. However, Zahabi survived and suddenly it was clear Aldo had absolutely nothing left. Zahabi turned up the pressure and rocked Aldo, who eventually desperately shot for a takedown. Zahabi took top position and rained down elbows that cut Aldo before they reached the final bell. While it seemed as though Aldo may have won the first two rounds, the judges (who may have simply flipped a coin) awarded the victory to Zahabi after that big third round. After the fight, Aldo announced his retirement, closing the curtain on a legendary career.

My Pick: Aldo via decision

Result: Zahabi via decision

Women’s Flyweight Championship bout: Valentina Shevchenko def. Manon Fiorot

We got an absolute chess match in this championship bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot. In the first round, Shevchenko landed multiple counter right hands as Fiorot would dart in. The challenger seemingly had her nose broken and seemed to be in bad shape at the end of the round. Then, in the second, Fiorot made an adjustment and started to duck under that counter right hand, scoring a big takedown and taking the round. In the third, Shevchenko began to shift her focus to defending those takedowns as these two evenly matched fighters continued to counter each other. The champ found a good deal of success with her striking in the fourth round, dropping Fiorot in the closing seconds. The fifth and final round was incredibly tight, with neither fighter really doing much to determine a clear winner and we went to the scorecards with a big question looming. The judges eventually awarded the fight to the champ in a very close, well-fought co-main event. Shevchenko continues to prove she is one of the best of all time while Fiorot proved she belongs in the octagon with the best.

My Pick: Shevchenko via decision

Result: Shevchenko via decision

Welterweight Championship bout: Jack Della Maddalena def. Belal Muhammad

In one of the biggest surprises of the night, Belal Muhammad showed an unexpected willingness to fight Jack Della Maddalena’s fight in the early going. The two stayed on the feet and traded punches, while the champ attempted just one takedown. The second round saw more of the same as the main event continued to be a standup war. However, it was also a bit surprising that Muhammad was very much holding his own in the striking game. He also managed to secure a takedown in the second, but Della Maddalena was able to get back to his feet almost immediately. It seemed possible the challenger was up two rounds going into the third, and yet Muhammad again was willing to stand and trade. They fought to a very close third round, but Della Maddalena turned around a Muhammad takedown attempt and almost scored one of his own in the closing moments. Perhaps feeling his championship slipping away, Muhammad turned up the pressure in the fourth round and initiated some wild exchanges. Both guys landed some big punches but the champ seemed to take a slight edge and possibly swung the momentum in his favor. Still, we reached a fifth and final round with the challenger still seemingly in the lead. And oh what a fifth round it was. Della Maddalena landed a big knee early on that cut Muhammad but the champ scored a takedown shortly after. Shockingly, Della Maddalena managed to fight back to his feet and get right back to wild exchanges. The challenger hurt the champ with a flurry of punches but the blitz ended with him being taken down. He fought back to his feet one more time and the two traded punches until the final bell. There was little question heading to the scorecards and Della Maddalena was in fact crowned the new Welterweight Champion. This was an instant classic and a very strong fight of the year candidate. What a way to close the show.

My Pick: Muhammad via decision

Result: Della Maddalena via decision

The UFC will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, May 17 for UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Morales.