Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, will (finally) make the first title defense of his 170-pound strap when he collides with Top 5 welterweight contender, Jack Della Maddalena, in the UFC 315 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, locked and loaded for this Sat. night (May 10, 2025) at recently boo-banned Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Whether or not anyone shows up to watch it remains to be seen.
UFC 315 will also feature the women’s flyweight title fight between reigning division champion, Valentina Shevchenko, and fast-rising French phenom, Manon Fiorot. Speaking of longtime titleholders, former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, will continue his bantamweight exploits opposite hometown hero Aiemann Zahabi. Benoit Saint-Denis and Alexa Grasso will also see action this weekend in Montreal.
So who wins and who loses? Our best UFC 315 guesses below.
170 lbs.: UFC Welterweight Champion Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (17-2)
The promotion despises Belal Muhammad and probably always has, to the point where Dana White and Co. awarded Colby Covington a third welterweight title shot over the streaking “Remember the Name.” In fact, the decision was so “nonsensical” that even Muhammad’s most outspoken haters were like, “Okay, you got screwed.” How does that relate to UFC 315?
Well, the only real criticism you can levy against Muhammad is his inability to finish fights, which probably keeps him from superstar status and thus, not a particularly successful box office attraction. UFC, above all else, is a business and the bottom line comes before anything else, which is why there were so many thoughts and prayers ahead of UFC 313 in Las Vegas.
In spite of all that, Muhammad keeps winning and as of this writing, is currently sporting an 11-fight unbeaten streak, dating back to early 2019. “Remember the Name” spent the last six years winning against the top names in the division including Sean Brady, who is currently ranked No. 1 at 170 pounds, as well as Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson, two former welterweight title challengers.
Muhammad hardly broke a sweat in his dismantling of former champion, Leon Edwards.
Despite all that pre-fight talk about his “Canelo Hands,” which nobody is falling for, Muhammad is a punishing wrestler with a seemingly limitless gas tank. Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre hold most of the welterweight records, thanks to their tenure at 170 pounds, but Muhammad is nestled in or around the Top 5 in every major category and getting closer to the top spot with each performance.
Jack Della Maddalena was not the promotion’s first choice when it came time to elect a new challenger for Muhammad’s throne. Fortunately for the Aussie, Shavkat Rakhmonov blew out his knee and was unable to answer the call, forcing matchmakers to scramble for a new main event — at the expense of UFC London. That tells me that UFC believed Maddalena — who was also sidelined with a serious injury — needed more time under the lamps.
What we’ve seen thus far from the 28 year-old boxer has been impressive. After scoring a contract on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in late 2021, Maddalena went on to rack up seven straight wins for UFC, five of which ended by way of knockout or submission. Split decisions against the unheralded Bassil Hafez and the hot-and-cold Kevin Holland are concerning, though you can argue they were nullified by his knockout finish over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 in March 2024 — depending on whether or not you think “Durinho” is washed at 38 years old after losing three straight.
If this was a straight up boxing contest, I would land on Maddalena without even batting an eyelash. But it’s not, and Maddalena was taken down seven times by Burns (and three times by Hafez). The Aussie certainly has the skill — as well as the power — to end this fight by way of knockout, I just don’t think Muhammad will give him the time or the space to get anything going. Remember, Maddalena is being asked to go 25 minutes against a punishing wrestler after missing more than a year of action. That’s a pretty tall order for any competitor in any division.
Expect Muhammad to take control early and make it look easy.
Prediction: Muhammad def. Maddalena by decision
125 lbs.: UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko (24-4-1) vs. Manon “The Beast” Fiorot (12-1)
Coming out of her Lauren Murphy victory at UFC 266 back in late 2021, Valentina Shevchenko looked invincible, compiling eight straight wins with five violent knockouts. Then came her controversial split decision victory over Brazilian powerhouse Taila Santos, though now that Santos has popped for steroids, we may have an explanation as to why “Bullet” struggled mightily to win that fight. We don’t however, have any excuses for her submission loss to Alexa Grasso, or the draw that followed it after their Noche UFC rematch. Shevchenko would recapture the crown by outworking Grasso at UFC 306; but again, fans and pundits were left wondering what happened to the dominant champion who was regularly racking up finishes.
Perhaps Grasso was just that good, or maybe “Bullet,” who turned 37 back in March, is starting to show signs of decline after a combat sports career that dates all the way back to early 2003 and includes lengthy runs in both kickboxing and Muay Thai. This fight is likely to provide that answer as Shevchenko faces a striker in Manon Fiorot who boasts a similar background: kickboxing, Muay Thai, and eventually, MMA. “The Beast” does not have as much experience as Shevchenko, but you can argue that she doesn’t have the same mileage on her tires, either. That could be the difference maker when the damage starts to accumulate in what is scheduled for five, five-minute rounds.
I would expect this fight to play out similar to the battle between Shevchenko and longtime rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who had a relative height and reach. Fiorot is 7-0 under the UFC banner but her last five fights have gone to the judges’ scorecards and in my opinion, were kinda boring. I’m expecting a close, technical battle between two accomplished strikers that may come down to one deciding round when all is said and done. A Sunday morning debate about who should have won and what judges actually got the scores right would not surprise me.
Prediction: Shevchenko def. Fiorot by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Jose “Junior” Aldo (32-9) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (12-2)
Former UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, said goodbye to the 145-pound weight class back in 2019 and proved to be a formidable challenge at bantamweight, though it appears the significant cut down to 135 pounds may be catching up to him. Despite his best efforts, “Junior” was unable to make weight for UFC 315, forcing the promotion to rebook his PPV main card contest in the featherweight class. Even with the extra pounds, Aldo looked positively miserable on the scale and had to be guided off stage — which doesn’t leave me feeling very good about his chances this weekend in Montreal. This marks the Brazilian’s first appearance in 2025, having last competed in a split decision loss to Mario Bautista at UFC 307 last fall, dropping “The King of Rio” to 4-4 in the bantamweight division. That’s probably why Aldo is fighting Aiemann Zahabi, who is ranked four spots below “Junior” at No. 15.
Zahabi, the younger brother of famed Canadian trainer (and John Wick inspiration) Firas Zahabi, has quietly compiled a five-fight win streak with two knockouts, which includes his unanimous decision victory over longtime veteran Pedro Munhoz at UFC Edmonton just a few months back. You can argue that Aldo represents a step up in competition for Zahabi, though it may be hard to build a case for the Brazilian after Friday’s scale fail. I don’t think it’s any big revelation to suggest this battle will take place primarily on the feet, as Zahabi has just one takedown in eight UFC fights. Similarly, Aldo has only landed one takedown in the last 11 years. “Junior” is far and away the more technical striker and better defensively, making this a tough matchup for the Canadian. Zahabi may be able to rally late after the Brazilian runs out of gas, which could happen sooner in light of recent events, I just don’t know if he’ll be able to score enough points to sway the judges in a case of too little, too late.
Prediction: Aldo def. Zahabi by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Benoit “God of War” Saint-Denis (13-3, 1 NC) vs. Kyle “Killshot” Prepolec (18-8)
Benoit Saint-Denis appeared to be the next big thing at 155 pounds and was living up to his “God of War” nickname after racking up five straight wins with five nasty finishes. Then UFC started paring him against ranked contenders like Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano and it all fell apart in somewhat spectacular fashion. The 29 year-old Frenchman was stopped in the second round in both contests, which is forgivable when you consider the level of competition, but then he started firing off flimsy excuses in a rather lame attempt to justify his performances.
Saint Denis also failed to endear himself to fans by turning down Mateusz Gamrot — following an injury to Joel Alvarez — in favor of whatever warm body had yet to be buried in Montreal. Certainly the right move, strategically speaking, because three straight losses starts getting you into the pink slip conversation, but probably not the most “God”-like decision and certainly not very “War”-like. Still, I’m willing to give Saint Denis a pass because he’s only been to the judges’ scorecards one time in 18 professional fights and boasts four post-fight performance bonuses in less than three years.
Kyle Prepolec makes his return to the promotion after a forgettable two-and-out back in 2019. The now 35 year-old Canadian had two chances to make a name for himself in UFC but dropped lackluster decisions to Nordine Taleb (UFC Ottawa) and Austin Hubbard (UFC Vancouver). “Killshot” has only competed five times since he last stepped foot inside the Octagon but to his credit, is 4-1 during that stretch and is coming into UFC 315 on a three-fight winning streak. The bad news, at least for Prepolec, is that he hasn’t seen action in a nearly a year and must now throw hands with one of the most violent lightweights on the roster. Even getting out of the first round would be considered a moral victory.
Prepolec is a gamer and has 10 wins by knockout but he’s been fighting bums on the regional scene. His last opponent, the 42 year-old Gustavo Wurlitzer, has been finished in 28 of his 30 professional losses (seriously). Saint Denis is, understandably, a monster betting favorite and should breeze through “Killshot” in the first or second frame.
Prediction: Saint Denis def. Prepolec by technical knockout
125 lbs.: Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) vs. Natalia Silva (18-5-1)
For the first time in nearly three years, former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso will fight someone not named Valentina Shevchenko. This stands to be an important fight for Grasso’s career, specifically her future in the 125-pound title hunt, because it will prove one of two things: either Grasso is the second best flyweight in the division or just a really bad matchup for Shevchenko. I’m leaning toward the former based on the work Grasso did prior to her “Bullet” trilogy, which included four straight wins over increasingly difficult competition. It’s hard to believe this is the same fighter who was defeated by Felice Herrig at strawweight back in early 2017, which just goes to show how far the Mexican prodigy has come over the years. That said, Grasso has horrendously porous defense when it comes to wrestling and has been taken down 33 times in her UFC career. It’s also worth pointing out that she failed to make any adjustments in her Shevchenko fights, allowing “Bullet” to pull away in their final confrontation.
I would expect the Natalia Silva camp to be planning for a wrestling-based attack this weekend in Montreal, even though the Brazilian hasn’t landed a single takedown since her successful UFC debut opposite Jasmine Jasudavicius back in June 2022. Silva is currently ranked No. 5 at 125 pounds after compiling a perfect 6-0 record under the UFC banner, which includes her unanimous decision victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 97 last fall. Most of her finishes on the international circuit came by way of submission but she holds two knockout wins for UFC, which has as much to do with her speed as it does her power. I would expect Silva to keep it standing to first gauge her success level on the feet, then resort to wrestling — where she may not be as comfortable — if and when she needs it. It’s hard to pick against Grasso here because Silva has never faced a Top 5 opponent, like Erin Blanchfield or Maycee Barber, so we can’t say with any confidence that she’s a credible threat to the current crop of contending flyweights.
This fight boils down to how well Grasso rebounds from her Shevchenko loss. She’s still just 31 years old (Silva is 28) and can fight as well on the feet as she can on the ground. Barring a spectacular performance from the Brazilian. Grasso’s grit and big-game experience should prove to be the difference maker in Montreal.
Prediction: Grasso def. Silva by unanimous decision
Boxebet will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 315 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ preliminary card matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 315 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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