Australian sensation Jack Della Maddalena turned the fighting world on its head at UFC 315. Heading into his first-ever welterweight title fight, the Aussie was a narrow underdog for his clash against Belal Muhammad, a man who had won his last ten fights on the spin, including a victory over Leon Edwards to claim the 170-pound title. Many thought that the champion would out-wrestle the challenger en route to yet another decision victory, but JDM had other ideas.
Della Maddalena’s striking had never been questioned, and that was on full display in his maiden title tilt in Montreal. However, it was his underrated takedown defense that truly shone. Time and again, the 28-year-old stuffed Muhammad’s takedown efforts, and when he was successful, the Australian got back to his feet almost instantly. Then, when both strikers were standing, JDM took the fight to the champion, peppering away with some lethal combinations that “Remember the Name” simply had no answer for.
The welterweight title fight ultimately went the distance, and the judges awarded Della Maddalena a deserved unanimous decision victory. But the win has completely transformed the landscape of the UFC.
JDM has dethroned Belal 😱
Who’s next for Giacomo? #UFC315
pic.twitter.com/1fhKgXHv52— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) May 11, 2025
JDM First Title Defence Announced
UFC lightweight champion and pound-for-pound Islam Makhachev stated that he would make a huge announcement depending on the result at UFC 315, but nobody truly knew what that meant. Well, that all became clear following JDM’s victory, as the Dagestani wrestling supremo announced that he would be vacating his 155-pound title and moving up in weight to challenge the newly minted welterweight champion.
Online sports betting sites reacted quickly, and odds for the clash – pencilled in for UFC 320 – have already been posted. The latest odds from Bovada’s sports betting site make Della Maddalena a +170 underdog for the upcoming clash despite his status as the belt holder. Makhachev, meanwhile, comes in as the -200 favorite, with the bookies seemingly undeterred by him moving up in weight. But it isn’t just the welterweight division that has had a massive shake-up.
Ilia Topuria Secures Lightweight Title Shot
One man who will be unhappy to see Makhachev move up in weight is former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. El Matador shot to prominence throughout 2024 with back-to-back knockout victories against icons Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway to claim the championship at 145 pounds and improve his record to 17-0. He then vacated the featherweight strap and clamored for a lightweight title shot against the fearsome Dagestani.
The champion, however, was unmoved. He repeatedly stated that he didn’t feel Topuria deserved a title shot and instead must beat a genuine top five lightweight before becoming the number one contender. Ultimately, both men got their wish, but while the Georgia-born Spaniard does have his title shot at 155 pounds, it won’t be against Makhachev.
The UFC has just announced that Topuria will receive a shot at the vacant lightweight title against former champion Charles Oliveira, the man that Makhachev defeated to become champion back in October 2022. The bout is set to go down at UFC 317, and the bookies make Topuria a short-priced -330 betting favorite to become a two-weight world champion, with Oliveira a +265 underdog to reclaim the gold.
While the upcoming bout is sure to be a blockbuster, it remains unclear as to where we stand on a potential clash between Topuria and Makhachev. The undefeated Matador was quick to turn to social media and call out the former champion for seemingly ducking him. He will need to win this clash against Oliveira and see Makhachev lose his welterweight title bout against JDM for a clash between the two Caucasus rivals to come to fruition.
Khamzat Chimaev Finally Gets His Title Shot
UFC fans were already salivating at the news of those two huge fights being penciled into the calendar. Little did they know, they were in for a third blockbuster announcement to put a bow on a stacked summer schedule. At UFC 319 in Chicago, the fearsome Khamzat Chimaev will finally receive a middleweight title shot against reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis in a clash that will surely garner all the headlines.
The Chechen sensation remains undefeated in the UFC, and his dominant victories against the likes of Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland, and Gilbert Burns proved that he was a man to be feared. However, it was his most recent victory against Robert Whittaker last October that put him on another level. The former middleweight champion was expected to be Chimaev’s biggest test, but he was duly dispatched with a vicious first-round submission that resulted in The Reaper suffering a broken jaw.
Current middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis, meanwhile, has been on a tear of his own. Two victories against Sean Strickland, as well as wins against Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, secured him as the man to beat at 185 pounds, and following the most recent of those victories, he made it clear that he wished to defend the gold against one man: Chimaev.
Well, now he gets his wish. The bookies make DDP a surprising +155 underdog for the upcoming clash, with the challenger a -180 favorite in his maiden title challenge. Will the South African manage to retain the strap, or will it be the Chechen who ascends the middleweight throne?