UFC 315 takeaways: Della Maddalena's first title defense may already be set

UFC 315 from Montreal had it each -- a caller champion astatine welterweight, a superb show for an all-time great, a fable laying down the gloves and more.

In the main event, Australia's Jack Della Maddalena showed nary fearfulness of being Belal Muhammad's archetypal rubric defense. He threw hard shots astatine Muhammad each nighttime portion expertly avoiding his takedown attempts. By the extremity of the five-round battle, Della Maddalena ended up with the loop astir his waist.

Women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko did what she had already done 7 times earlier and successfully defended her rubric against Manon Fiorot. It was a masterful show that begs the question of wherever she sits among the top successful MMA history.

And speaking of greatest, Hall of Famer José Aldo retired again aft losing to Aiemann Zahabi, his 2nd nonaccomplishment successful 3 fights since helium unretired past year. Was the twelvemonth we got to ticker him worthy it?

Jeff Wagenheim, Andreas Hale and Brett Okamoto stock their thoughts connected these fights.

Bring connected the Della Maddalena-Makhachev superfight

Della Maddalena has go a UFC champion truthful rapidly that helium hardly had clip to enactment his mode up the welterweight rankings. After joining the promotion successful 2022, helium was warring a top-5 hostile for the archetypal clip connected Saturday astatine UFC 315. But successful presumption of title aspirations, this was the lone 170-pounder who genuinely mattered: the champion. Della Maddalena dethroned Muhammad by beating him to the punch for 5 rounds, moving to 8-0 successful the UFC and extending his wide winning streak to 18.

No sooner had Della Maddalena been handed the loop than the communicative moved connected to his archetypal rubric defense, which seems to beryllium leaning successful the absorption of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev successful a champion versus champion superfight. Had Muhammad won, the UFC would person gone successful a antithetic direction, due to the fact that Muhammad has trained with Makhachev and the 2 were opposed to warring 1 another. But Della Maddalena eliminated that complication -- and acceptable up what 1 mightiness qualify arsenic a grudge match.

Della Maddalena is from Perth, Australia, making him the 3rd UFC champion from Australia, aft middleweight Robert Whittaker and featherweight Alexander Volkanovski. The newest champ volition statesman his reign by trying to get 1 backmost for Australia from Makhachev, the antheral who doubly defeated Volkanovski.

"It's a beauteous challenge. He's pound-for-pound No. 1," Della Maddalena said of Makhachev. "I'm gonna get it backmost for Volk."

If helium does, determination volition inactive beryllium welterweight challenges ahead, archetypal and foremost the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, who was successful enactment for this rubric changeable but is recovering from injury.

Della Maddalena produced an fantabulous show against Muhammad, fueled chiefly by his crisp boxing but aided by beardown takedown defense. Muhammad, who had scored 9 takedowns portion taking the title from Leon Edwards past July, managed lone 3 connected 9 attempts successful this fight. That kept the combat successful Della Maddalena's striking wheelhouse, wherever helium went to enactment and bloodied up Muhammad. Can helium bash that against Makhachev, who is slick successful some wrestling and standup? The likelihood volition surely beryllium against the caller champion, but that's thing caller for a feline who wouldn't adjacent person been present if not for different fighter's wounded -- but showed emphatically that helium belongs. -- Wagenheim

Shevchenko makes different situation look easy

It has gotten to the constituent that Shevchenko is being taken for granted due to the fact that her greatness is truthful familiar. The 37-year-old endured a grueling warfare of attrition to clasp her flyweight rubric against Fiorot, proving she is inactive the queen of the mountain. Her stellar vocation has been truthful sublime that a triumph implicit yet different contender is treated arsenic routine. But Shevchenko halted Fiorot's 12-fight winning streak and added different sanction to her portfolio. She continues to adhd to her record-breaking vocation with her 10th rubric combat win, tying Nunes for the astir successful UFC women's history. Not to notation that she is present the oldest combatant to support a rubric astatine a value people little than welterweight.

The anticipation is that she volition invited the situation of strawweight champion Zhang Weili next. A triumph implicit different pistillate considered 1 of the greats volition inch her person to Amanda Nunes arsenic the top women's mixed martial creator of each time. Shevchenko is often forgotten arsenic the pistillate who pushed Nunes to the bounds twice, contempt warring good supra her preferred value class.

With Nunes expected to travel retired of status to combat the victor of the women's bantamweight rubric combat betwixt Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison astatine UFC 316 connected June 7, determination could beryllium a script successful which Nunes and Shevchenko conscionable for a 3rd clip with much than conscionable a satellite title connected the line.

The imagination script would spot Shevchenko support her rubric against Zhang and get 1 past changeable astatine Nunes if she tin regain the bantamweight crown. But adjacent if the second doesn't travel to fruition -- and determination are a batch of hurdles to get determination -- Shevchenko has cemented herself arsenic an all-time great. -- Hale

What was the UFC trying with Aldo's comeback?

When it comes to combat promotion, the UFC is sheer ingenuity, OK? No 1 tin statement that. The UFC has been increasing exponentially for years, and Dana White's imaginativeness for the institution has been proven existent implicit and implicit again. That said, I don't get what happened with Jose Aldo.

The Brazilian fable came retired of status past twelvemonth for 1 much run, and the promotion ended up booking him against Jonathan Martinez, Mario Bautista and Zahabi. Now, afloat recognition to each 3 of those fighters, but did immoderate of them genuinely physique his marque aft warring Aldo? Martinez lost, Bautista won a dilatory divided determination and Zahabi won a precise amusive fight, but not successful a mode that volition genuinely enactment him implicit the hump. In different words, the fans got 1 of the astir beloved names successful the athletics back, and helium really had immoderate state near successful the tank, but now that helium has re-retired aft the nonaccomplishment to Zahabi, what did the fans truly get from his return?

If this comeback was lone going to past 12 months, couldn't the UFC person thought bigger? I cognize Dominick Cruz ended up not warring again due to the fact that of an wounded earlier this twelvemonth during camp, but the institution could person tried to publication that one. I bash recognize utilizing him similar anyone else, booking him against a fig (a ranked opponent) alternatively of a name, but also, I don't. The matchmaking was good enough, but is that each we privation for Aldo? I would person alternatively seen the UFC find a mode to get him successful the Octagon with Sean O'Malley, who Aldo mightiness not person beat, but helium showed helium had capable to marque it competitive. There would person been a payoff, triumph oregon lose.

I accidental immoderate mode the UFC went, the effect would person been similar, but it felt similar determination was an accidental to bash thing much meaningful. A uncommon gaffe up by the promotion. -- Okamoto