UFC 315 is set to bring another thrilling chapter to Canada’s MMA legacy on May 10th, as the welterweight belt takes center stage in the city of Montreal after 10 long years. Newly crowned champion Belal Muhammad will make his first title defense against Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena. Riding an incredible 17-fight win streak with 14 finishes, the Aussie has earned his shot at UFC gold, and he could pose a serious threat to the Palestinian-American champion.

In the co-main event, the women’s flyweight title is up for grabs. Reigning pound-for-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko, who reclaimed her belt at UFC 306, will defend her title against the 12-1-0 rising star Manon Fiorot. Fiorot will make history as the first French female fighter to challenge for a UFC championship, and she’ll be doing it against an all-time great. But the action isn’t just confined to fight night—tensions have already erupted.

The Aussie contender has announced that he will outclass the champion and take his crown. Meanwhile, Shevchenko and Fiorot have had their eyes on each other since 2024, when Fiorot called out the former champ. Shevchenko didn’t hold back, quickly proposing a high-stakes matchup and calling her an “ill-mannered first grader.”

Now that both fights are official, the champions issued strong warnings to their challengers during the UFC 315 Countdown video. Muhammad made it clear: “Once he gets in there, he’s gonna realize that there are levels to this. And I’m gonna just drown him.” Shevchenko echoed the intensity, stating: “I will leave all of my soul inside the Octagon and I will win.”

Muhammad is currently riding a six-fight win streak inside the Octagon and has also promised to deliver a striking masterclass in his first defense thanks to his “Canelo Hands.” On the other hand, Della Maddalena returns after a long hiatus owing to a broken hand suffered at UFC 299, which required surgery.

In the women’s division, the 24-4-1 ‘Bullet’ reclaimed her flyweight title in dramatic fashion, winning the trilogy bout against Alexa Grasso at UFC 306. Meanwhile, the French contender has torn through her division with seven consecutive victories, earning a well-deserved shot at one of the GOATs of WMMA.

With all eyes now on the welterweight clash, here’s what Jack Della Maddalena had to say just days before stepping into the Octagon for the biggest fight of his career.

Jack Della Maddalena’s strategy to win against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315

Jack Della Maddalena views his first 2 professional losses as crucial stepping stones. Rather than setbacks, he sees them as valuable lessons that fueled his growth. “I think it was very important. Losing you learn a lot,” Della Maddalena told Sporting News. The 28-year-old is glad to have experienced those two defeats, believing they kept him grounded and motivated to evolve as a fighter.

Since then, he’s redeemed himself with an impressive 17-fight win streak. However, his last fight was over a year ago—a significant gap in cage activity. That bout, against Gilbert Burns last March, came at a cost as we have discussed before. Now, he’s healthy and ready to pursue championship gold. Confident in his evolved skillset, Della Maddalena believes he’s more than prepared to take on Belal Muhammad.

“As the fight goes on, I’ll be the one landing more damage,” he said. “His style is more about dragging you down, holding you down, and trying to make you work by getting back to your feet, but I think the longer the fight goes, I’ll be able to physically damage him. As that damage compiles, it’s going to slow him down.”

But UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier had some words of caution for the Aussie. Speaking on his YouTube channel, DC said, “For Della Maddalena, he’s gotta defend takedowns. And here’s the deal! There was a fight in the Apex against a kid, and I don’t know his name. Jack Della Maddalena fought this kid a while back. That kid was taking him down, beating him on short notice, Takedowns! I can’t remember that guy’s name!”

That fighter was 9-4-1 Bassil Hafez, who took the fight on short notice at UFC on ESPN 49 and pushed Della Maddalena to the brink with relentless takedown pressure. Although JDM won the fight, Hafez exposed vulnerabilities that Belal Muhammad could capitalize on. DC’s warning was clear: “That can’t happen. If that starts to happen with the fighter at the level of Belal Muhammad, he’s not getting the job done.”

With UFC 315 approaching fast, the welterweight title clash promises high drama and high stakes. Della Maddalena is chasing gold after a long layoff, while Muhammad aims to impose his grinding, suffocating style. Which side are you on for UFC 315? Team Della Maddalena or Team Muhammad? Drop your predictions below!