Della Maddalena’s title win over Muhammad has big ramifications for a division packed with rising contenders desperate to fight for the 170-pound strap. But, with Muhammad now dethroned from the top spot, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has wasted no time in laying claim to the next shot at the welterweight title.
The night also saw women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko successfully defend her title as she turned back the in-form French contender Manon Fiorot after five hard-fought rounds in the co-main event.
Shevchenko stands alone as the pound-for-pound No. 1 female fighter in the world right now, but who should she face next, emerging contender Natalia Silva, who defeated former champ and number one contender Alexa Grasso earlier that night, or strawweight queen Zhang Weili, who said she’s destined to face Shevchenko in a champion-versus-champion clash?
On The RDX Sports Podcast this week…
On this episode of the RDX Sports Podcast, Simon Head looks back at UFC 315 and shares his take on the fights that mattered in Montreal, as he assessed what Della Maddalena’s win could do to the 170-pound title picture moving forward, and how that could directly impact the championship picture at lightweight, too.
Simon also looks ahead to the main event of UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Morales, as welterweight veteran Gilbert Burns takes on another man who plans to gatecrash the championship conversation at 170 pounds, undefeated Ecuadorian Michael Morales.
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