UFC CEO Dana White announced two title fights for the promotion’s return to Montreal on May 10. UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena and women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot top UFC 315.
UFC 315’s main and co-main event and major news about UFC 314 were revealed on Wednesday on White’s Instagram Live.
Muhammad makes his first title defense after beating Leon Edwards in July. Interestingly, Della Maddalena was pulled from a Fight Night main event against Edwards to challenge for the welterweight belt. Edwards will instead fight Sean Brady on March 22.
Muhammad was previously set to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 but pulled out due to a bone infection. Rakhmonov, who fought and beat Ian Machado Garry instead, reportedly couldn’t fight Muhammad because of an injury. According to White, Rakhmonov will fight the winner of UFC 315’s main event.
Shevchenko makes the first title defense of her second reign as women’s flyweight champion. Shevchenko beat Alexa Grasso at UFC 306 to tie their trilogy 1-1-1. Fiorot earned her title shot by beating fellow contender Erin Blanchfield, improving her UFC record to 7-0.
Speaking of Grasso, the former champ fights rising contender Natalia Silva on the same card. Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales and Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Bruno Silva have also been announced for UFC 315.
