UFC 315's Ripple Effect

via mmajunkie.com

UFC 315 in Montreal was more than a simple pay-per-view. The repercussions of the event were something that nobody expected, and for that, rather than diving into each fight on the main card, we’ll discuss the future of the company and its biggest stars.

Starting in the main event, Belal Muhammad took on Australian up-and-comer Jack Della Maddalenna. The fight was a five-round war, both fighters leaving everything they had inside the cage. Ultimately, Della Maddalena pulled off the upset, dethroning Muhammad and setting himself up for massive future opportunities. Della Maddalena relied on his prominent skills: crisp and tight boxing, possibly the best in the UFC, and his elite takedown defense. Muhammad’s volume wrestling-oriented approach was negated by Della Maddalena’s effective takedown defense and lateral movement, altering Muhammad’s rhythm and causing confusion for him on the feet. Winning impressively, four rounds to one, Della Maddalena has asserted himself as a top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Now that the main event has been recapped, the biggest question following Saturday night was, what’s next for the welterweight division? Well, last night, UFC President Dana White gave us all the answers we sought.

Firstly, the welterweight division has been shaken up. With most expecting Della Maddalena to fall short, Dana White had a step-by-step plan for the upcoming pay-per-views, especially for International Fight Week. However, those plans quickly altered. With the Aussies' victory, lightweight champion and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev announced that he would be vacating his lightweight belt to challenge the welterweight throne. Nobody protested this. Islam’s resume speaks for itself, and he deserves the chance to be a double champion. This means the welterweight division has been solved, right? Not exactly. The 170-pound division is as crowded as it gets. Before Makhachev’s announcement, contenders like Sean Brady, Ian Garry, Joaquim Buckley, and even injured Shavkat Rakhmonov advocated for their opportunities at a title shot. However, now that Makhachev is next, a round robin will undoubtedly have to take place to determine the next challenger. While all this is happening, the lightweight division no longer has a champion, so how would Dana White solve this?

Well, our questions were answered yesterday. The boss announced that at UFC 317, on International Fight Week, former champion Charles Oliveira will take on Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight championship. This is an absolute mega fight, and on top of that, for the flyweight championship, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his belt against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. Oliveira has been dying to get his belt back, clamouring for a title shot following his victory at UFC 309 over Michael Chandler. As for his opponent, it was clear he would be getting a title shot, regardless of who he faced. Everyone knows what Ilia Topuria has done in the last year and a half. After knocking out the two greatest featherweights of all time, the Spaniard decided his work at 145 pounds was complete, and he vacated his championship. For months, fans and media have desperately pleaded for the UFC to create the obvious super-fight, perhaps the biggest fight in history, between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. However, negotiations were complicated, and Islam was unwilling to give another 145-pounder a chance at double champion status. So, Islam waited, and eventually, he got his wish: a shot at welterweight supremacy. Stylistically, all these fights are fascinating, and we will dive into the fight breakdowns closer to the dates, but for now, UFC fans are spoiled with anticipation for the upcoming months.

Finally, for UFC 318, Dustin Poirier will take on Max Holloway for the BMF championship, which will be Poirier’s final fight. On top of that, at UFC 319, Dricus Du Plessis will look to silence doubters once again, against Khamzat Chimaev, who, after years of contention, finally gets his title shot. As usual, we will be here to give an in-depth breakdown of those fights.

After months of uncertainty, questions, and fan criticism, the UFC answered most, if not all, questions. Buckle up, UFC fans, the rest of 2025 will be wild.