Muhammad-Della Maddalena, Shevchenko-Fiorot to headline UFC 315
The UFC's first trip to Montreal in over a decade will feature a pair of title fights.
Belal Muhammad will defend the welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC 315 main event May 10 at Bell Centre, UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday.
Women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will face Manon Fiorot in the co-main event.
Della Maddalena, the fourth-ranked welterweight, is getting an unexpected crack at Muhammad's title after No. 2 Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to take the fight due to an injury.
The promotion pulled Della Maddalena from his UFC London main-event bout against Leon Edwards on March 22 so he could challenge Muhammad for the title instead.
Muhammad will be making his first defense since dethroning Edwards in a unanimous decision victory at UFC 304 last July. The 34-year-old is riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak and hasn't lost since 2019.
Muhammad was scheduled to face Rakhmonov at UFC 310 last December but withdrew after developing a bone infection in his foot. Rakhmonov went on to defeat short-notice replacement Ian Machado Garry by decision.
"Big thanks to the UFC for offering me the shot at the belt first," Rakhmonov wrote on X. "Unfortunately, due to injury, I won't be ready for May. I'll be facing the winner later this year."
Della Maddalena holds a 7-0 record in the Octagon and is riding a 17-fight winning streak dating back to 2016. He's coming off a knockout win over Gilbert Burns last March.
Shevchenko is set to defend the women's 125-pound title for the first time since reclaiming it with a dominant victory over Alexa Grasso at UFC 306 last September. Shevchenko faced Grasso in three straight outings, first losing the title to the Mexico native in March 2023 and then fighting her to a split draw that September.
Fiorot, the No. 2-ranked women's flyweight, earned a crack at Shevchenko's championship by winning seven straight fights to begin her Octagon career. The Frenchwoman beat Erin Blanchfield and former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas in her last two outings.
White also announced that a welterweight bout between Burns and Michael Morales will take place at UFC 315.