UFC 315: Five Things We Learned

UFC 315: Five Things We Learned

UFC 315 was a solid night of fights that featured a pair of title fights. The two championship bouts saw one new champion get crowned while a legendary champion added a title defense in the other. The remainder of the event featured a few solid fights that helped craft future contenders. Here are the five biggest lessons we learned from UFC 315.

Jack Della Maddalena Takes His Game To A New Level

In the UFC 315 main event, Jack Della Maddalena won a decision against Belal Muhammad to win the welterweight title. It was a sensational showing from Jack Della Maddalena.

Della Maddalena took his skill set to a new high in his first title opportunity. In his career, he has shown elite-level interior boxing. A lot of the concerns centered around the remainder of his skill set. A lot of those questions have been put to rest. He did an outstanding job in the grappling phases. Muhammad struggled to set up his takedowns and could not finish his attempts. On top of that, he expanded his skill set with kicks, knees, and elbows.

This was a sensational showing for Della Maddalena. In the striking exchanges, he did an absurd amount of damage. In striking exchanges, he was the far better fighter. On top of that, he dictated prevented grappling entries and controlled the fight.

This version of Della Maddalena was remarkable. In his UFC tenure, he showed a lot of positives. His UFC 315 performance expanded upon those positives to show the depth and upside in his skill set. Additionally, he is making massive strides. In recent outings, he has made massive grappling improvements. At 28-years-old, if he continues to improve at this rate he will be a top-tier champion.

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Valentina Shevchenko Keeps Championship Status

The UFC 315 main event featured a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot. It was a razor-close bout, but Shevchenko earned the decision victory.

Shevchenko won this bout with big moments. In the first round, she had the most dominant round of the fight. That included a counter that broke Fiorot’s nose. That initial round gave Shevchenko a large advantage for the remainder of the fight. Fiorot seemed hesitant to get hit in the face and was much more passive than usual in striking exchanges.

Fiorot was able to close the gap after the first round. This was largely because of her clinch control and knees. Although, it was not enough to get her the victory. Shevchenko won the fourth round with a powerful shot that dropped the challenger. Aside from that, rounds one, two, and five were close. There is an argument that Fiorot won all three of those rounds. That said, Shevchenko’s dominant rounds one and four helped her ensure she won the decision.

The UFC 315 co-main event was a strong showing for Shevchenko. At this point in her career, every victory in her second title reign is a strong addition to her legacy.

Jose Aldo Retires After A Suspect Decision Loss

At UFC 315, Jose Aldo retired from the sport of MMA. Unfortunately, the all-time great went out on a loss. It is even worse considering he lost a controversial decision against Aiemann Zahabi.

Aldo performed well in his final MMA showing. The former champion did a lot of great work in round one. His boxing skills looked strong and he was clearly winning the striking exchanges. The second round was much closer as Zahabu started to get into a rhythm. That round was close, but Aldo certainly had moments. The final round got wild. Aldo knocked Zahabi down multiple times and nearly finished the fight. Although, the script filled when Aldo gassed out attempting to finish Zahabi. That turned into ground and pound for Zahabi.

This was an interesting fight to score. It felt like Aldo did a better job of winning rounds. The first round was an Aldo round. Meanwhile, the second and third rounds could have gone either way. That said, if I were a judge, I would have scored the fight for Aldo.

It is a shame that Aldo finished his career as a gatekeeper. It is a shock he was not given any legendary fights to close out his career. The fact that two of her last three fights were controversial decisions that were scored against him. Regardless, Aldo will be remembered as an all-time great who helped build the UFC featherweight division.

Natalia Silva Continues Her Rise

At UFC 315, Natalia Silva continues her rise up the women’s flyweight division with a decision win against Alexa Grasso.

This was a sensational performance from Silva. She dominated the striking exchanges for three rounds against a former champion in Grasso. Plus, Grasso’s best attribute is her boxing. It looked like Silva was levels ahead on the feet. This began with his footwork and movement. She dictated the exchanges, avoiding Grasso’s offense, and landed massive counters. If Silva was throwing first, she did a good job landing kicks and doing damage.

Silva is now 7-0 in the UFC with a laundry list of impressive victories. She has been an established threat for years, but this performance may have earned her a title fight.

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Jasmine Jusudavicius Uses Her Grappling To Dominate

On the UFC 315 prelims, Jasmine Jasudavicius had the best victory of her career as she submitted Jessica Andrade in the first round.

This was a short, but dominant victory for Jasudavicius. In the early moments of this fight, she landed some good strikes on the feet. That did not last long, however. Once she began to grapple, she completely took over. She landed a takedown and worked to the rear-naked choke.

Jasudavicius is now 8-2 in the UFC and is riding a five-fight win streak. This has helped her work her way into the ranking and put herself in a position for a big fight.

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