Preview: UFC 315 ‘Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena’

Bantamweights

Jose Aldo (32-9, 14-8 UFC) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (12-2, 6-2 UFC)

ODDS: Aldo (-218), Zahabi (+180)

It’s always good to see Aldo back in action, even if the former featherweight champion’s matchmaking has been a bit underwhelming upon his return. Aldo is an all-time great who helped move the sport forward. Initially a whirlwind of violence as a rising prospect, the Brazilian eventually set the standard for defensively minded fighters, dominating his opposition as featherweight champion with an approach that slowly disincentivized every weapon, allowing him to coast to dominant victory after dominant victory. After about a half a decade of being the clear leader of the featherweight ranks, Conor McGregor memorably ended his title reign with one of the most shockingly quick knockouts in mixed martial arts history. However, it wasn’t until two years later that it felt like the torch was truly passed, as Max Holloway’s pace-heavy striking game established a new cutting edge that Aldo was unable to keep up with in either of their 2017 fights. That easily could have been a point where the sport passed Aldo by—from a general game planning standpoint, it still probably has—but he has done amazingly well to stay relevant in the years since, first as a top-tier featherweight and then after a surprising cut down to 135 pounds. Aldo still often loses the pace battle, but he remains one of the sharpest fighters in the sport when he chooses to throw. Since a 2020 loss to Petr Yan, Aldo’s only losses to Merab Dvalishvili and Mario Bautista have seen those opponents essentially have to take the fight out of the fight, using a wrestling- or clinch-heavy approach to basically freeze the Brazilian out of throwing any effective offense. The Dvalishvili loss in 2022 prompted a brief retirement from mixed martial arts as Aldo pursued a boxing career, but he came back into the UFC fold in 2024. The promotion has surprisingly used him to test prospects like Jonathan Martinez and the aforementioned Bautista rather than do some higher-profile fights. As a result, it should probably be less surprising that he gets another such matchup here against Zahabi, even if the Canadian has clearly earned a big fight.

Quebec’s Zahabi came to the UFC in 2017 and immediately had some hype thanks to his last name; he’s the brother of famed Tristar Gym coach Firas Zahabi. However, he essentially wound up as an afterthought for the first four years of his UFC career, putting on middling performances and keeping an inactive schedule that occasionally had people wondering if he was semi-retired. Zahabi has stayed a bit more active from 2021 on and gone on a shocking run of success. His first few wins were initially chalked up to some poor opposition, but 2024 victories over Javid Basharat and Pedro Munhoz established that the Canadian’s game was suddenly working at a high level. It’s a bit messy in practice, as Zahabi mostly wings some hard counters with some impressive feel and timing, but his opponents thus far have offered the right opportunities. That seems unlikely to happen here against Aldo, who’s just about the worst possible matchup for Zahabi as someone who can land with even better accuracy while fighting at a slow pace. The pick is Aldo via decision.

Jump To »
Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena
Shevchenko vs. Fiorot
Aldo vs. Zahabi
Silva vs. Grasso
St. Denis vs. Prepolec
The Prelims