UFC 315 hits the octagon this Saturday at 10 PM ET, with a boatload of fights hitting the lineup, including two title weight bouts! Catch an exciting bantamweight bout between two of the world’s top-ranked fighters, where we then head into a women’s flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot, all before hitting the main welterweight title bout between belt-holder Belal Muhammad and challenger Jack Della Maddalena.

Review our picks for the UFC 315 fight, not before choosing if they’re something you want to back or ignore!

Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi Preview

Longtime #11 Brazilian UFC fighter Jose Aldo (32-9-0) appears in the octagon tonight against #15 Canadian fighter Aiemann Zahabi (12-2-0) in an amped up welterweight fight. Aldo is looking to turn things around since his most recent loss to Mario Bautista, while Zahab is entering the ring off a fresh win. Both fighters stand at similar heights, with Zahabi taking just a 1” height advantage, although Aldo boasts a 70” arm reach (1.5” more than Zahabi) and 40” leg reach (2” more than Zahabi) despite being shorter.

Aldo’s career experience has led him to achieving 53% of his wins by KO/TKO and 44% by decision, while his Canadian counterpart also represents a 50% win-by-KO/TKO rate and only 33% by decision. However, he boasts 17% by submission compared to Aldo’s 3%. Their striking stats are close, with Aldo landing 3.62 per minute versus Zahabi’s 4.06, both with a 46% significant strike rate, although the Canadian absorbs slightly more strikes per minute at 4.06 over Aldo’s 3.72. Aldo, despite repping a slightly lower strike defense at 60%, boasts a 92% takedown defense compared to Zahabi’s 83%. While Aldo has many more fights under his belt, he attempts 0.49 takedowns per 15 minutes with 53% accuracy, a stat that contradicts his 3% win-by submission. We think the Brazilian can turn it around in this fight, as he has the slight leg and arm reach advantage with more experience, as well as high takedown defense, giving him the win by decision at the end of 3 rounds.

Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot Preview

Current flyweight Kyrgystanian title holder Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1) takes on #2 French fighter Manon Fiorot (12-1-0) in a fiery flyweight title bout this evening. Both fighters are entering the octagon off fresh wins, and while Shevchenko stands 2” shorter and 2 lbs lighter than her French opponent, she’ll take the reach advantage by just 2”.

While the Kyrgystanian has nearly double the number of fighters under her belt than her opponent, both carry similar win-by statistics, with Fiorot winning 47% by KO/TKO compared to Shevchenko’s 33%. Shevchenko edges Fiorot slightly in submission wins with 29% to 20% and decisions with 38% to 33%. For significant strikes, the French fighter dishes out 4.62 significant strikes per minute (53%) compared to Shevchenko’s 3.16 (52%), absorbing 3.2 per minute over the title holder’s 2.0. The Kyrgstanian does, however, rep a 64% defense against striking and 71% against takedowns, while Fiorot showcases 49% defense against striking and 61% against takedowns. While Shevchenko boasts 2.74 takedowns per 15 minutes with 64% accuracy, we think she could edge the win by submission over Firot in this one.

Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena Preview

As the welterweight title bout main event hits the octagon tonight, we find Palestinian title holder Belal Muhammad (24-3-0) taking on #5 Australian challenger Jack Della Maddalena (17-2-0). Both fighters are coming in off fresh wins, with the Australian weighing 17 lbs heavier in this matchup. While they both stand at 5’ 11”, Maddalena takes a slight 1” arm reach advantage.

The main difference between the two fighters is that Muhammad has won 75% of his fights by decision compared to Maddalena’s 18%, while Maddalena has won 71% of his fights by KO/TKO compared to Muhammad’s 21%. While both fighters enjoy the striking game, the Australian boasts 6.74 significant strikes landed per minute (53%) against the Palestinian’s 4.39 landed per minute (43%). With fewer fights, Jack Della Maddalena has the striking stat advantage in almost every category, including absorbing 4.27 strikes per minute with 66% defense compared to Muhammad’s 3.48 strikes absorbed per minute with 57% defense. Belal Muhammad posts a 89% brilliant takedown defense, though, attempting 2.28 takedowns per 15 min on average against Maddalena’s 70% takedown defense, although we assume this fight will progress with feet planted on the canvas. I expect the challenger, Jack Della Maddalena, to continue his impressive run by knocking out the title holder to win by KO/TKO by the end of 5 rounds.

Our Pick: Jose Aldo to Win by Decision, Valentina Shevchenko to Win by Submission and Jack Della Maddalena to Win by KO/TKO

Spotlight Team

UFC 315 Picks: Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena

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