Jack Della Maddalena claimed the welterweight title from Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315, showing off sublime striking to dethrone the wrestling specialist.
Della Maddalena was able to hold the centre of the Octagon and press forward for much of the five-round bout, switching stances frequently and tagging Muhammad with dozens of straight shots, as well as a knee that cut the Palestinian-American badly in round five.
Muhammad, 36, did not rely on his usually effective wrestling nearly enough, and when he did, his Australian challenger exhibited impressive defence. With that, “JDM” secured scorecards of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, halting Muhammad’s 10-fight win streak and extending his own to a remarkable 18 bouts.
Della Maddalena, 28, ended Muhammad’s title reign during the latter’s first defence, and now the Aussie is expected to defend the strap against Muhammad’s friend Islam Makhachev – the reigning lightweight king, who has eyed welterweight gold but would not face Muhammad.
“It’s exactly how I thought it would feel,” said Della Maddalena in the cage after his victory. “I should’ve been a bit sharper with my shots, but it is what it is.
“Coming in against someone like Belal with that sort of pressure wrestling, I couldn’t spend too long against the fence or on my back. I was gunning for a finish, but Belal’s the man; he’s a tough dude, he’s hard to put away.
“I think [a fight with Makhachev] is a beautiful challenge, he’s pound-for-pound No 1, I’m gonna get him back for Volk.” JDM was referring to Makhachev’s two wins over another Australian in Alexander Volkanovski.
In Saturday’s co-main event in Montreal, Canada, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko extended her second reign atop the division, retaining the title against Manon Fiorot with a razor-close decision.