Maddalena Victorious Over Muhammad by Unanimous Decision

In the headline event at UFC 315 held in Montreal, Canada, this past Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena triumphed over Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision. This marked Maddalena’s first title defense.

The Australian fighter clinched the victory as all judges scored the five-round match in his favor. The scores were 48-47, 48-47, and 49-45.

Muhammad addressed his defeat and future plans on social media on Sunday.

“Allah’s plan is the best plan,” Muhammad posted.

“Alhamdillah for everything. Thank you to all my supporters. I been here before and I’ll be back.”

Before this match, Muhammad’s last defeat occurred six years prior in a unanimous decision loss to Geoff Neal. Following that, he achieved 11 consecutive victories, including a no-contest against Leon Edwards in 2021. That fight was stopped early because an accidental eye poke impaired Muhammad’s ability to continue.

Muhammad later secured a dominant win against Edwards at UFC 304, claiming the welterweight title.

With this loss, Muhammad relinquishes his title, and an immediate rematch seems unlikely. Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight titleholder and Muhammad’s training partner, has expressed intentions to move up to welterweight to pursue a second title. Several other welterweight competitors are also in contention for a title opportunity.

While Muhammad’s next opponent is yet to be determined, potential contenders include Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Sean Brady, and the winners from upcoming bouts featuring Gilbert Burns, Michael Morales, Kamaru Usman, and Joaquin Buckley.