Fight grades: Could Montreal end up as one of the top PPVs of 2025?

Not each combat paper is simply a location tally connected paper, and erstwhile the lineup for UFC 315 was announced, plentifulness of fans rolled their eyes and yearned for more. Fortunately, with specified a debased barroom to clear, the competitors who headed to Montreal impressed with their performances. Chief among them was the main lawsuit rubric fight, which featured Jack Della Maddalena overcoming the unit of Belal Muhammad to seizure the UFC welterweight championship successful a conflict that fewer expected to beryllium that entertaining.

The main lawsuit was supported by beardown performances from Mike Malott, Bekzat Almakhan, Jasmine Jasudavicius and Natalia Silva. Though not each combat was crowd-pleasing, this acold exceeded the expectations for the UFC's instrumentality to Montreal.

After each pay-per-view, we interruption down and measure the prime of each combat and the combat paper itself based connected accomplishment displayed, competitiveness and what is astatine stake.

Welterweight championship: Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena

Result: Della Maddalena defeats Muhammad by unanimous decision

Grade: A-

Expectations were debased heading into this title fight, and it overdelivered successful portion due to the fact that of Muhammad's committedness to striking alternatively than deploying his takedowns. The strategy resulted successful a tense combat successful which the 2 welterweights jousted for Octagon presumption past relied connected their punching prowess. Della Maddalena was sharper, but Muhammad's unit resulted successful plentifulness of chances to onshore large shots. Muhammad absorbed a batch of blows to his look arsenic Della Maddalena continued the pressure. During immoderate moments, it appeared Della Maddalena mightiness beryllium adjacent to stopping the champion. Hopefully, Muhammad has shaken the undeserved "boring" tag aft his performance, portion Della Maddalena has proven helium tin beryllium an breathtaking champion.

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Women's flyweight: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot

Result: Shevchenko defeats Fiorot by unanimous decision

Grade: B-

This was a long, brutal conflict betwixt Shevchenko and Fiorot. Shevchenko's acquisition successful rubric fights reigned supreme, but Fiorot proved she could flooded adversity aft having her chemoreceptor busted conscionable minutes into the fight. It wasn't an entertaining fight, but it was demanding of some women, who were cautious not to marque a captious mistake. The bout was similar a movie that you permission the theatre enjoying but are good not seeing again.

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Men's bantamweight: José Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi

Result: Zahabi defeats Aldo by unanimous decision

Grade: B+

This felt similar a vintage Aldo show arsenic the "King of Rio" recovered his aged signifier aboriginal successful the fight. Then, Aldo wounded Zahabi successful Round 3 and pursued a decorativeness with a wicked punt footwear to the face. However, Aldo didn't relent. That's erstwhile Zahabi deed Aldo with everything successful his arsenal. After dropping Aldo, Zahabi followed him to the canvas and battered his look with elbows. That epic last circular made a comparatively pedestrian Round 2 casual to forget. Zahabi picked up the biggest triumph of his vocation -- albeit arguable due to the fact that it felt similar Aldo won the archetypal 2 rounds -- by surviving Aldo's violative onslaught. Aldo retired aft the fight, seemingly retired of frustration, but this combat is surely worthy watching for the thrilling conclusion.

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Women's flyweight: Alexa Grasso vs. Natalia Silva

Result: Silva defeats Grasso by unanimous decision

Grade: B

This mightiness not person been aesthetically pleasing for immoderate viewers due to the fact that of Silva's changeless movement. However, this superb show cemented Silva arsenic the division's apical contender. Silva's footwork was mesmerizing, mounting up her kicks and counters. Grasso couldn't find her, and conscionable erstwhile Grasso thought she had, she was met with a footwear oregon punch to the look oregon body. Grasso's look was bruised by the extremity of the fight, a motion that she wasn't running. Silva's method accomplishment is championship-worthy, and she made it look casual against the erstwhile champion.

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Lightweight: Benoît Saint Denis vs. Kyle Prepolec

Result: Saint Denis defeats Prepolec by second-round submission

Grade: C

This was a unusual combat to grade. Prepolec -- astatine +700, per ESPN BET -- was a monolithic underdog against Saint Denis. However, Saint Denis had a much hard clip dispatching Perpolec than anticipated. Prepolec survived a grind of a archetypal circular that was astir exclusively grappling, past helium clipped Saint Denis respective times successful the 2nd circular earlier "God of War" enactment it each unneurotic for the finishing sequence. Saint Denis had to enactment for it, but helium got the effect helium needed to extremity a two-fight losing streak.

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Welterweight: Mike Malott vs. Charles Radtke

Result: Malott defeats Radtke by second-round KO

Grade: B+

The mode Malott demonstrated patience and refused to get sucked into an affectional conflict with Radtke, who attempted to marque the combat America versus Canada, was the item of this bout. Malott waited for the close accidental successful the 2nd circular and enactment a near hook down a close manus that rocked Radtke. Be diligent with this 1 due to the fact that the knockout was impressive.

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Women's flyweight: Jessica Andrade vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

Result: Jasudavicius defeats Andrade by first-round submission

Grade: B

This was a flawless show from Jasudavicius successful her location country. She took retired a erstwhile champion with ease. However, watching Andrade enactment up small to nary absorption successful the combat was sad. The existent question for Andrade is whether it is clip to bent up the gloves.

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Light heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Ion Cutelaba

Result: Bukauskas defeats Cutelaba by divided decision

Grade: D-

The scores were conscionable arsenic confusing arsenic the fight. Bukauskas ne'er got retired of archetypal cogwheel and Cutelaba, who is usually not successful atrocious fights, had an arsenic uninspired performance. Somehow, a justice scored the combat 30-27 successful Bukauskas' favor. If you really privation to ticker this fight, spell ahead. The lone crushed you should is to marque consciousness of the scorecards.

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Light heavyweight: Navajo Stirling vs. Ivan Erslan

Result: Stirling defeats Erslan by unanimous decision

Grade: C-

Stirling couldn't get retired of the mode of Erslan's close manus successful the archetypal round, looked sluggish successful a grapple-heavy second, but the enactment picked up successful the last 3 minutes of the third. Sterling dropped Erslan with a close manus and, surprisingly, Erslan asked for more. A frantic brawl ensued, with Sterling astir finishing Erslan. The City Kickboxing combatant didn't get the finish, but the past circular saved this combat from getting a failing score.

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Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Bruno Silva

Result: Barriault defeats Silva by first-round KO

Grade: B

If you blinked, you mightiness person missed this finish. Barriault, a Quebec native, summoned the vigor of his chap countrymen successful the crowd, pulled Silva into a clinch on the cage and delivered a devastating abbreviated elbow that turned the lights out. The knockout mightiness not person been arsenic beauteous arsenic immoderate of the bigger ones this year, but it was undoubtedly 1 of the astir violent. Silva stayed connected the canvas for respective minutes earlier helium near the Octagon connected a stretcher.

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Featherweight: Daniel Santos vs. JeongYeong Lee

Result: Santos defeats Lee by unanimous decision

Grade: B-

Santos, returning aft a 23-month layoff, looked much than prepared for his showdown with Lee contempt warring successful a antithetic value people connected abbreviated notice. This combat started fast, with Santos and Lee throwing punches and each landing combinations. But Santos' attack was smarter, mixing successful takedown attempts with his striking to support Lee from settling into a rhythm. The enactment slowed successful the 2nd fractional of the fight, but Santos' show was strong, built connected an progressive opening round.

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Men's bantamweight: Brad Katona vs. Bekzat Almakhan

Result: Almakhan defeats Katona by first-round KO

Grade: A-

Almakhan flew nether the radar aft astir finishing Umar Nurmagomedov a small much than a twelvemonth agone successful his Octagon debut. "The Turan Warrior" sent a harsh reminder to the MMA satellite by becoming the archetypal combatant to halt Katona erstwhile Almakhan sent him packing with a beautifully timed antagonistic uppercut conscionable 1 infinitesimal into the fight. That aboriginal nonaccomplishment mightiness beryllium the worst happening to hap to the bantamweight part due to the fact that Almakhan could beryllium a headache for the 135-pound division.

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UFC 315 combat paper grade: B

A combat paper with debased expectations overdelivered, acknowledgment to a wildly entertaining main lawsuit that fewer anticipated and respective noteworthy performances from idiosyncratic fighters. There wasn't thing unwatchable, speech from the sluggishly paced Bukauskas-Cutelaba fight. It's 1 of the uncommon occasions erstwhile debased expectations made each show much enjoyable. This mightiness beryllium 1 of the apical combat cards of 2025.