Welcome to the live blog covering the main event at UFC 315: the welterweight championship bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. This highly anticipated fight takes place on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC), currently ranked No. 5 on MMA Fighting’s Pound-for-Pound list, is making his first title defense. He claimed the belt with a dominant performance against his rival, Leon Edwards, at UFC 304 last July. Muhammad was initially slated to face No. 1 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December, but a bone infection in his foot forced him to withdraw. He comes into this fight on an impressive 11-fight unbeaten streak, having not suffered a loss since 2019.
Jack Della Maddalena (17-2), ranked No. 5 at 170 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, also enters UFC 315 on a significant winning streak, having secured 17 consecutive victories since losing his first two professional fights in 2016. The Australian knockout artist received this title shot due to Rakhmonov`s unavailability because of injury. However, Della Maddalena certainly earned his place with a perfect 7-0 record inside the UFC octagon, including a thrilling knockout victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. Now, he aims to climb the Pound-for-Pound rankings by defeating the champion, Muhammad.
Wesley Dunham