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Belal Muhammad will be looking to successfully defend his welterweight title for the first time tonight – but faces a tough opponent in Jack Della Maddalena
The UFC returns to Canada tonight for a stacked pay-per-view fight night card, headlined by a welterweight title showdown between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
Della Maddalena certainly possess the skillset to dethrone the reigning welterweight champion. The vicious knockout artist hasn’t lost a professional contest since 2016. Since signing with the UFC, the 28-year-old has racked up wins over the likes of Danny Roberts, Randy Brown, Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns.
However, it’ll take some doing to topple Muhammad – who will be looking to put on a real display and prove why he is the best welterweight on the planet. ‘Remember the Name’ has been near-perfect since joining the UFC back in 2016. Over the last few years, he has emerged as one of the most dominant fighters in the promotion. And so, here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s fights…
Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena – 5am
Belal Muhammad is set to defend his welterweight title for the first time this evening. The 36-year-old shocked the world by picking up the gold prize after defeating Leon Edwards in Manchester last year. While it seemed likely that he would go head-to-head with Shavkat Rakhmonov tonight, Rakhmonov was deemed unfit to compete. Standing across Muhammad tonight is none other than knockout artist Jack Della Maddalena. Coming into the clash off of a win over Gilbert Burns, Della Maddalena will be looking to shock the world and potentially earn himself a potential super-fight with Islam Makhachev later down the line.
Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot – 4:30am
The first title fight this evening sees Valentina Shevchenko kick off her second stint as a women’s flyweight champion. After regaining the strap in her last fight following a win over Alexa Grasso, the ‘Bullet’ will be hoping to reign supreme for the next few years as she enters the twilight stages of her career. However, in Manon Fiorot, Shevchenko is aware she’s in for a tough night at the office. Undefeated in the UFC, Fiorot earned her chance to shine on the big stage following a win over Erin Blanchfield last year.
Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi – 4am
It wouldn’t be a pay-per-view main card without Jose Aldo featuring. The former featherweight champion seemingly called it a day three years ago after losing to Merab Dvalishvili, but made a sensational return last year. After defeating Jonathan Martinez on his return, the Brazilian was then narrowly beaten by Mario Bautista. He faces a tough test tonight in Aiemann Zahabi – who is a rising star and hasn’t been beaten in well over five years.
Alexa Grasso vs Natalia Silva – 3:30am
Tonight sees the return of Alexa Grasso as she begins her quest to reclaim the women’s flyweight title. The 31-year-old shocked the world back in 2023 after dethroning Valentina Shevchenko. The pair then fought to split draw, before Grasso eventually lost her title to Shevchenko last September. Grasso faces a tough test tonight in Natalia Silva – who hasn’t lost a fight since 2017.
Benoit Saint Denis vs Kyle Prepolec – 3am
Fans were in for a real treat ahead of UFC 315 as Benoit Saint-Denis and Joel Alvarez were due to go head-to-head in a high stakes lightweight dust-up. However, Alvarez was forced to pull out of the clash after picking up a hand injury. Stepping up in his absence is MMA veteran Kyle Prepolec – who is making his second debut in the UFC. However, tonight is the perfect opportunity for Saint Denis to get back in the win column following back-to-back defeats to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.
Prelims
Mike Malott vs Charles Radtke – 2:30amJessica Andrade vs Jasmine Jasudavicius – 2amModestas Bukauskas vs Ion Cutelaba – 1:30amNavajo Stirling vs Ivan Erslan – 1am
Early prelims
Marc-Andre Barriault vs Bruno Silva – 12:20amDaniel Santos vs Jeongyeong Lee – 11:30pmBrad Katona vs Bekzat Almakhan – 11pm
