MONTREAL — Jack Della Maddalena wants to take Belal Muhammad's welterweight championship belt — and end his career.
“He's had a good run in the UFC,” Della Maddalena said in a recent interview. “It’s retirement time, buddy.”
Muhammad believes Della Maddalena will be in for a rude awakening when the two fighters enter the octagon Saturday night at UFC 315 in Montreal.
He also thinks his Australian counterpart’s verbal jousting needs some work.
“I just think he's not really good at trash talk,” Muhammad said at a downtown hotel Wednesday. “If he thinks it's going to be that, it's going to be a long night for him.
“I just can't wait for him to eat his words and eat these fists."
In one of two title bouts, Muhammad (24-3-0 with one no-contest) will put his championship on the line for the first time at Montreal’s Bell Centre — the site of three hockey fights in nine seconds when Canada met the United States at February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Kyrgyz-Peruvian champion Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight crown against Manon Fiorot of France in the co-main event.
Muhammad walked into the press conference room with his championship belt, wearing shades and a black basketball jersey with “Bully” written across the chest — a nod to his “Bully B” nickname.
“I do see myself as a bully,” he said. “I bully all these guys in the cage.”
The 36-year-old from Chicago is aiming for his 12th straight win after snatching the welterweight crown off England's Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July.
Doing so in front of Canadian and mixed martial arts legend Georges St-Pierre — a three-time welterweight champion — would be a cherry on top.
“He's on everybody's Mount Rushmore, a guy that I looked up to,” Muhammad said. “That's what I'm trying to chase, right?
“My first goal was the gold. Now my next goal is the GOAT. So I'm chasing him, and to be chasing him starting here in Montreal and in front of him is going to be great."
Della Maddalena (17-2-0), meanwhile, is on a 17-fight win streak — including seven straight in the UFC — since dropping his first two bouts as a pro.
A betting underdog on Saturday, he faces his stiffest test yet in Muhammad, but the calm-as-can-be 28-year-old doesn’t expect the winning to stop in Montreal.
"You learn a lot from losses. I learned a lot from both those ones, skill-wise and then mentally as well, and just been on a tear ever since,” he said. “I'm glad to have got the losses behind me and all wins going forward."
Shevchenko (24-4-1) is facing a new opponent for the first time in two years after three consecutive title bouts against Mexico’s Alexa Grasso, having reclaimed the flyweight crown in September.
Fiorot (12-1-0) is undefeated in seven UFC fights and trending as the slight betting favourite to dethrone Shevchenko.
“It's because my past three fights have been total domination compared to her, who's had closer and tougher fights,” Fiorot said.
Shevchenko, 37, said she’s never felt better.
“If compared myself to like few years ago, I'm a better version of myself — faster, stronger, more confident,” she said. “I feel the best shape that I've been in my entire career.”
It’s the UFC’s eighth event in Montreal and first since 2015. It’s also the 35th overall in Canada.
Much like the 4 Nations Face-Off, political tensions between Canada and the United States could spill over into the arena.
At least, that’s how American welterweight Charles Radtke views his bout with Mike Malott of Burlington, Ont. — especially amid the widespread booing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Canadian sports events.
"I don't give a (crap) about hockey, right? That's not my gig,” Radtke said. “But what I do hold dear is I grew up on a bison ranch with my grandfather, who was a sergeant major in the Marine Corps, and when you all boo the national anthem, somebody's gonna have to pay for that.”
Radtke has in recent months promoted U.S. President Donald Trump’s “51st State” rhetoric — the source of many boos during performances of the American national anthem north of the border — and spent much of his press conference trash-talking Canada.
His message to the more than 20,000 Canadian fans likely to fill the building with jeers when he steps into the arena?
“(Expletive) you,” he said.
Mallott said he doesn’t need to draw extra motivation from Radtke’s “noise.”
“If that's where you want to put your energy, go for it,” he said ahead of their preliminary card bout. “That's not where I'm putting my energy. I'm putting my energy into the octagon.
“It seems like we're both really focused on me. That's what I think about that. I don't care what this guy's doing.”
The 12-bout card features five other Canadians: bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi, flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius, featherweight Gavin (Guv'nor) Tucker, bantamweight Brad (Superman) Katona and middleweight Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault.
Zahabi, with St-Pierre in his corner, will have his hands full in a main-card fight against all-time great Jose (Junior) Aldo of Brazil.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
