UFC 315 got a big boost in the form of Dustin Poirier’s former rival.
UFC 315 marks the promotion’s return to Canada, featuring a welterweight title headliner between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. The card features a slew of top Canadian talent and Muhammad’s first welterweight title defense after defeating Leon Edwards for the belt last July.
Former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso also returns against Natalia Silva on the UFC 315 main card. Grasso returns after losing the flyweight belt to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 306, and Shevchenko will make the first title defense of her second title reign on the same card.
Gilbert Burns, Mike Malott, and other UFC fan favorites will fight at UFC 315. But the card also got some great news this week after a star knockout artist announced his addition to the event.
Benoit Saint-Denis announces UFC 315 booking just weeks out from pay-per-view
Looking to bounce back after two lopsided defeats, UFC lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis will return to the Octagon against a to-be-announced opponent at UFC 315. Saint-Denis lost back-to-back fights by stoppage in 2024, including a knockout to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299.
Saint-Denis announced the news of his UFC 315 booking in a recent YouTube video. As of this writing, the UFC has yet to disclose Saint-Denis’s addition and an opponent for his comeback fight.
Joel Alvarez is a rumored opponent fit for Saint-Denis, although nothing has been confirmed. Alvarez has won three straight fights, including a flying knee knockout against Drakkar Klose in his most recent matchup in December.
Saint-Denis has defeated the likes of Matt Frevola, Ismael Bonfim, and Thiago Moises during his UFC tenure.
UFC 315 star forced to raise money to cover team’s travel expenses
As Saint-Denis gets ready to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for UFC 315, another top name on the card went to uncommon lengths to support his team ahead of the event. Maddalena hosted a recent fundraiser to help cover travel expenses for his team, resulting in fans going up in arms over the UFC’s perceived lack of financial support.
Maddalena got the title shot over other contenders like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Sean Brady. He returns after finishing Burns in his most recent outing at UFC 299.
Luckily, it appears Maddalena and his team will be able to make the trip to Montreal for UFC 315, diverting a potential crisis for the main event slot. But that hasn’t stopped fight fans from remaining highly critical of the UFC’s business practices.
