UFC: Maddalena wins welter name; Jose Aldo pronounces retirement

Jack Della Maddalena reacts following his UFC 315 combined martial arts welterweight name bout towards Belal Muhammad in Montreal, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press by means of AP)

MONTREAL — Jack Della Maddalena beat Belal Muhammad by means of unanimous determination to wrest away the welterweight championship in the principle tournament at UFC 315 on Saturday evening.

Della Maddalena (18-2-0) prolonged his combat win streak to 18 in a row with a 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 determination.

UFC 296: Leon Edwards keeps belt with unanimous determination over Colby Covington

Going again house with the belt 🏆

[ #UFC315 | Jack Della Maddalena ] pic.twitter.com/daViKlkQOo

— UFC (@ufc) May 11, 2025

The loss ended Muhammad’s 11-fight streak courting to January 2019.

“He brings the pressure, you know, I knew I had to be smart,” the Australian stated.

In the co-main tournament, two-time UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1) defended her belt towards No. 2 ranked contender Manon Fiorot (12-2) of France.

All 3 judges scored it 48-47.

“I was expecting a hard fight, she’s a good fighter,” stated the 37-year-old from Kyrgyzstan. “I’m going to keep going. Numbers is nothing. What is more important is how you feel physically, mentally, how you perform.”

READ: Eye poke ends Leon Edwards-Belal Muhammad UFC combat in Round 2

Jose Aldo calls it a occupation

Aiemann Zahabi stunned UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo in a featherweight leading card combat, and then Aldo introduced his retirement.

Zahabi (13-2) gained by way of unanimous determination (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) and the Canadian has now gained six instantly fights.

The combat was once in the beginning scheduled to be disputed on the bantamweight department, however was once modified to featherweight on Friday after each warring parties checked in above the load prohibit.

Aldo (32-10), of Brazil, introduced his retirement from MMA combating after a 21-year occupation.

“I don’t think I have it in me anymore,” Aldo stated thru a translator.

READ: Petr Yan stops Jose Aldo, claims vacant UFC bantamweight belt

This could have been my ultimate time within the Octagon.
This week, I confronted one of the vital greatest battles of my existence, and it wasn’t towards an opponent, however inside of myself.

Over the previous few years, I rekindled the dream of changing into a champion as soon as once more. I skilled as I at all times did, gave… pic.twitter.com/Cv9FVWsLt7

— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) May 11, 2025

Saturday’s card was once the primary in Canada since Donald Trump was once re-elected U.S. president in November. It comes amid rising political tensions between Canada and the United States, as Trump has again and again steered that Canada must grow to be the 51st U.S. state, and a few of that stress spilled over.

Canadian Mike Malott (12-2-1) gained his combat with American Charles Radtke (10-5) by way of knockout 26 seconds into the second one spherical in their welterweight bout. Malott took down Radtke with a blank left hook and would now not let up, putting his opponent with repeated followup blows to seal the knockout.

Radtke was once met with jeers and curses from enthusiasts right through the combat in accordance with feedback he made to Canadian enthusiasts at a pre-fight information convention on Wednesday and the booing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Canadian carrying occasions in contemporary months.

Radtke stated “when you all boo the national anthem, somebody’s gonna have to pay for that.”

In the ladies’s flyweight department, Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-3) took down Brazilian Jessia Andrade (26-14) by way of submission simply over midway during the first spherical.

READ: Jessica Andrade wins by way of submission at UFC Fight Night

“When I was preparing for this fight, I kept on thinking about it being a quick finish,” stated Jasudavicius. “I kept on telling myself to be ready for 15 hard minutes and everything.”

Marc-Andre Barriault (17-9) additionally knocked out opponent Bruno Silva (23-13) 1:27 into the hole spherical in their middleweight bout with an elbow struck to the aspect of Silva’s head. Silva left the octagon on a stretcher.

Benoit Saint Denis (14-3) beat Kyle Prepolec (12-8) by way of submission within the opening leading card combat. The Frenchman took down the Canadian with an arm-triangle choke halfway thru the second one spherical.

Prepolec most effective discovered not up to two weeks in the past he could be combating in Montreal. The 35-year-old was once known as in to interchange Joel Alvarez, who has a hand damage.