The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to Canada on Saturday, May 10, with UFC 315 taking place at the Bell Centre in Montreal. A crowd of 19,786 people saw 12 exciting fights in the octagon.
This marked the UFC’s first visit to Montreal in over a decade. Once a regular stop on the UFC circuit—thanks in large part to Quebec native and Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, who reigned for years as Welterweight Champion—Montreal had seen fewer events following his retirement. While the UFC has explored other Canadian markets, Saturday night’s electric crowd was a strong reminder that Montreal remains an ideal host for future events.
Many fans travelled from Ottawa and Toronto to experience the action live. While the UFC brand continues to grow in popularity, Canada typically hosts only two live events each year. Given Saturday’s results, that number will hopefully continue to grow. Interest in the sport is strong, with more people taking up mixed martial arts as the UFC’s reach continues to expand.
Years ago, the UFC wasn’t even welcome in the State of New York, but now it has an annual event at Madison Square Garden. And during the pandemic, when sports and much of the world came to a standstill, the UFC kept the lights on by staging fights overseas in Abu Dhabi and in empty arenas across the U.S.
In 2001, Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Frank Fertitta purchased the UFC for $2 million—currently, it’s valued at $11.3 billion. The company hosts fights globally, and a return to Canada was a welcome one.
The current climate of Canada/U.S. relations could be felt at times during the evening as Canadian pride and enthusiasm showered the Canadian athletes.
Saturday night was also a good night for Canadian fighters, who finished with a 4-2 overall record. Canadian Brad Katona lost to Bekzat Almakhan in the first fight of the evening by knockout. The heavily favoured Benoît Saint Denis from France defeated Kyle Prepolec by submission.
Coming off three losses, Marc-André Barriault knocked out Bruno Silva. The Gatineau native was overcome with emotion after the win and received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic ovation from the crowd.
Jasmine Jasudavicius was one of two Canadians to defeat former UFC champions, as she submitted former Strawweight Champion Jessica Andrade in the first round.
Burlington-born Mike Mallott, who walked out to the music of Canadian rock group Sum 41 blaring through the arena, defeated Charles Radtke by knockout.
Radtke, from the U.S., was booed heavily as soon as he entered the arena. After winning the fight, Mallott was congratulated by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was taking in the fight.
The biggest win for a Canadian fighter came when 15th-ranked Aiemann Zahabi defeated former UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo by unanimous decision. Ironically, Georges St-Pierre was one of the people in Zahabi’s corner.
The main event saw Jack Della Maddalena defeat Belal Muhammad to win the Welterweight Championship in a unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko defeated Manon Fiorot, also via unanimous decision.
Former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso was defeated by Natalia Silva. Silva seemed to be too quick for Grasso as she applied a very effective stick and move technique.
After the roaring success of UFC 315 in Montreal, the octagon proved it’s still a major draw north of the border. Now, it’s just a waiting game to see when in 2026 the UFC will bring the action back to Canadian soil.
Photo: Courtesy UFC
