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The belt changed hands after the judges’ unanimous decision in favour of Della Maddalena (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). Della Maddalena ran his unbeaten streak in the UFC to eight and to 18 overall with the win.

“I thought it was going to be a tough fight and it was a tough fight,” said Della Maddalena. “I feel like I confused him with the footwork, just thinking back. It all worked out well.

I tried to visualize winning, but obviously, it was a special feeling to get the belt.”

Muhammad failed to defend his title he obtained from Leon Edwards at UFC 304 last summer.

The co-main event saw Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko (25-5-1) conserve her women’s flyweight title thanks to a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-37, 48-47) in her five-round fight against France’s Manon (The Beast) Fiorot (12-2).

Both fighters were relatively evenly matched through the opening three rounds before Shevchenko pulled away in the fourth, sending Fiorot to the ground with a right hook.

“I knew coming into the fight that it was going to be a hard fight,” said Shevchenko. “My opponent got into this challenge for the belt for a reason. You cannot expect an easy fight from this kind of person.”

It marked the 37-year-old Kyrgyzstan native’s first defence of her title in her second stint as flyweight champion. She is 11-1-1 in her last 13 bouts.

In another women’s main card flyweight bout, Brazilian Natalia Silva (19-5-1) also emerged victorious with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) against former champion Alexa Grasso (16-5-1). The number-five ranked Silva has won 13 straight fights, including seven consecutive wins inside the UFC octagon.

LOCAL HERO PUTS AN END TO JOSE ALDO’S CAREER

Laval, Que.’s Aiemann Zahabi (13-2) shocked UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo (32-10) of Brazil in their featherweight main card fight. Zahabi won in a come-from-behind unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), turning it on in the third and final round with continued blows to a bloodied Aldo.

Zahabi, who had three-time welterweight champion and Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Georges St-Pierre in his corner for the fight, has now won six straight fights.

Following the loss, 38-year-old Aldo announced his retirement from MMA fighting after a storied 21-year career, telling the crowd through an interpreter “I don’t think I have it in me anymore.” Aldo had previously retired in 2022 but returned to the octagon last year.

“Most MMA guys, they like to stick around a little longer than they should, but I can never say anything bad about Aldo,” said Zahabi. “He’s a great guy and no one should forget how great of a fighter he is. He gave me the fight of my life tonight.”

O CANADA!

Other Canadian fighters also impressed in Montreal.

(Proper) Mike Malott of Burlington, Ont (12-2-1). won his fight with American Charles (Chuck Buffalo) Radtke (10-5) by knockout 26 seconds into round two of their welterweight bout.

“This is the loudest crowd I’ve ever heard,” said a bare-chested Malott following the fight, the Canadian flag draped around his neck. “It was so sick. I got to feel like the man. I walked out and just tried to soak it all up. You only get this feeling so many times in your life.”

In the women’s flyweight division, Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-3) took down Brazilian Jessia (Bate Estaca) Andrade (26-14) by submission just over halfway through the first round of their fight.

The 36-year-old St. Catherines, Ont. native secured her fifth consecutive win, toppling Andrade to the ground before pinning her opponent down in a rear-naked chokehold.

Meanwhile, Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault (17-9) of Gatineau, Que. knocked out 35-year-old Brazilian opponent Bruno (Blindado) Silva (23-13) 1:27 into the opening round of their middleweight bout, thanks to an elbow struck to the side of Silva’s head. Silva was forced to leave the octagon on a stretcher.

The 35-year-old snapped a three-fight losing streak, winning by knockout for the first time since March 2023.

“I feel like I have had my ups and downs, but I always worked hard and proved that I’m open-minded to evolve and be the best version of myself,” said Barriault. “That’s what I did after my last fight, especially after a brutal injury (a broken leg).”

It wasn’t entirely a success for the Canadian contingent of fighters in Montreal, however.

Benoit (God of War) Saint-Denis (14-3) defeated Windsor, Ont.’s Kyle (Killshot) Prepolec (12-8) by submission in the opening main card fight. The Frenchman took down the Canadian with an arm-triangle choke midway through the second round.

Kazakh Bekzat (The Turan Warrior) Almakhan (12-2) made quick work of Winnipeg’s Brad (Superman) Katona (16-5), knocking out the 33-year-old with a perfectly landed uppercut just over one minute into the first round of the opening preliminary bout.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2025.