Della Maddalena Crowned UFC Welterweight Champion in Montreal Showdown

Australian breaks Belal Muhammad’s streak to claim gold at UFC 315

Jack Della Maddalena has arrived.

In front of a roaring Montreal crowd at UFC 315, the Australian welterweight delivered the performance of his career to dethrone Belal Muhammad and become the new UFC welterweight champion. After five gruelling rounds in which both men left parts of themselves in the Octagon, Della Maddalena walked away with a unanimous decision victory — and with it, UFC gold.

For the 28-year-old from Perth, the win capped off a comeback narrative laced with pressure, patience, and precision. Coming into the bout following a year-long layoff, Della Maddalena had plenty of questions to answer. But when the final horn sounded, the judges had seen enough. Two scored the contest 48-47, while the third handed him a wider 49-46 margin.

And while the numbers were close on paper, the action told the story of a man who simply outclassed the defending champion in key moments.

“It’s exactly how I thought it would feel,” said a calm but emotional Della Maddalena in his post-fight interview. “It feels good.”

The End of a Streak

Jack Della Maddalena remains undefeated inside the octagon

For Belal Muhammad, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. The American hadn’t lost a fight since January 2019, a stretch that saw him rack up wins over some of the division’s elite and eventually claim the vacant belt. But in his first title defence, he found himself outgunned and outmanoeuvred.

Della Maddalena’s striking was sharp, clinical, and relentless. Over the course of the fight, he landed a staggering 200 significant strikes, many of them snapping Muhammad’s head back or slicing through his guard. By the fourth round, Muhammad was visibly battered — bloodied and stumbling as he struggled to contain the Australian’s rhythm.

“He brings the pressure, so I had to be smart on my feet,” Della Maddalena explained. “Coming in there against someone like him, I had to be smart. I couldn’t spend too much time on my back. When I did, I waited until I could get my energy back and made a move.”

Though he didn’t find the late finish he was chasing, the Perth native made every round count.

“I wanted to take him out of there,” he admitted. “I was gunning for a late finish. But he’s tough to put away.”

Welterweight Gold Down Under

With the win, Della Maddalena etched his name into Australian MMA history. He becomes just the third fighter from Australia to capture a UFC championship, following in the footsteps of featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

And while his name might not have carried the same global weight as those two prior to UFC 315, this win will undoubtedly change that. The way he dispatched Muhammad — a man whose smothering pressure and cardio had broken so many opponents before — was a statement.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t filled with viral knockouts or dramatic swings. It was composed, calculated, and ruthlessly efficient. And in the context of elite MMA, that’s championship-level stuff.

Co-Main Event: Shevchenko Retains Her Crown

If Della Maddalena’s triumph was about seizing the moment, then Valentina Shevchenko’s co-main event performance was about maintaining a legacy.

The women’s flyweight champion retained her title with a razor-thin unanimous decision over Manon Fiorot, a talented French striker who pushed her to the brink. All three judges scored the bout 48-47 for Shevchenko — evidence of just how closely contested the five-round battle truly was.

“I was expecting a very hard fight,” Shevchenko said afterward. “She’s a hard opponent and a good striker.”

But as she’s done so many times before, the 37-year-old champion found a way. Mixing crisp kickboxing with smart clinch work and timely takedowns, Shevchenko was able to edge out just enough key moments to walk away with the belt still strapped to her waist.

“Everything I wanted to do getting ready for the fight, I was able to do,” she added.

For Shevchenko, the win extends her second reign as flyweight queen, following her trilogy-closing victory over Alexa Grasso at UFC 306. And while she may be entering the twilight of her career, the Kyrgyzstani fighter continues to prove that experience and discipline remain vital ingredients at the top of any division.

What’s Next for the New Champ?

Back in the welterweight division, the question now turns to what’s next for Jack Della Maddalena. The Australian has shown he belongs among the best, but the 170-pound landscape is as stacked and volatile as ever.

Contenders like Shavkat Rakhmonov, Colby Covington, and Gilbert Burns all loom large, each presenting a unique stylistic puzzle. There’s also the possible return of Kamaru Usman or a rising star like Ian Garry to consider. Whoever it is, Della Maddalena will have a target on his back now — but based on what we saw in Montreal, he’ll be ready.

What’s undeniable is that the UFC has found a new star. Jack Della Maddalena isn’t just a talented fighter — he’s a composed, cerebral competitor with the kind of skill set that could lead to a long reign if the chips fall right.

A New Era Down Under?

Australian MMA has never been in a stronger position. With Volkanovski still at the top of the featherweight mountain, and Della Maddalena now leading the charge at welterweight, fans Down Under have every reason to believe that the island nation is becoming a true force in global MMA.

“I hope this inspires a few people,” Della Maddalena said with a smile. “If I can do it, maybe they can too.”