UFC 315 mailbag: How long will Jack Della Maddalena reign at welterweight?

UFC 315 is within the books, and we have now a brand new welterweight champion.

On Saturday, Jack Della Maddalena scored the largest win of his profession, placing on a masterful efficiency to take a unanimous resolution over Belal Muhammad and declare the welterweight title.

The place does “JDM” go from right here, and the way lengthy will he reign? What in regards to the flyweight title image after Valentina Shevchenko stifled Manon Fiorot? And is Jose Aldo actually finished? Let’s dive into this week’s questions.

Jack Della Maddalena — champion

How do you are feeling Jack Della Maddalena’s title reign will go?

Effectively, I assume that largely is dependent upon how his first battle goes, and I’m 50/50 on that one.

Islam Makhachev goes to get the primary shot at JDM, and I do not know who wins that one. My early intuition favors Makhachev as a result of he’s one of the best fighter on the planet, and that counts for lots. Additionally, I feel Makhachev is an all-around higher fighter than Muhammad, and Muhammad fought JDM shut, so Makhachev ought to, theoretically, do higher. However on the opposite aspect of issues, JDM continues to be enhancing from battle to battle, confirmed vastly higher anti-wrestling than he ever had beforehand, and has a harmful skillset for Makhachev. So I’m not betting the home on Makhachev.

The wrestle for JDM, although, is that even when he beats Makhachev, there’s no reprieve. Welterweight is filled with unbelievable rising abilities, and Della Maddalena must go from Islam to Shavkat Rakhmonov or Ian Machado Garry or Sean Brady or Joaquin Buckley. After which there are guys like Michael Morales and Carlos Prates coming down the road. The 170 title image is a shark tank proper now, and so even when JDM can swim for some time, I gained’t be choosing anybody to clear via that assassin’s row.

Title photos

Are you able to dive into the mess that Jack Della Maddalena’s win left at 170 and 155? What do Shavkat, Brady, Belal, and Buckley do now whereas Islam will get the shot? And the 155 belt won’t be defended till 2026 almost definitely.

Not a multitude in any respect. It’s really damaged out fairly cleanly now, although maybe not optimally for some events.

Islam faces JDM for the welterweight belt later this 12 months — both when the UFC goes again to Australia within the fall, or Abu Dhabi. As a result of he vacated the belt, Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria are squaring off for the light-weight belt at UFC 317. I’ll go forward and guess that Arman Tsarukyan will battle Justin Gaethje someday quickly for a shot on the winner of that one.

As for welterweight, Garry and Brady are in all probability locked in for a scrap now, and the winner of Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman will get Belal subsequent. The one actual query is Shavkat, however my guess is Shavkat sits cageside for the Islam vs. JDM battle, and faces the winner of that early subsequent 12 months.

Until, in fact, the UFC chooses chaos. If Topuria beats Oliveira, and Makhachev beats Della Maddalena, I’m sure individuals will probably be much more psychotically rabid for that potential battle than ever. And if the UFC indicators some new TV deal, what higher approach to make a splash than Makhachev vs. Topuria for the welterweight title someday subsequent 12 months? I’m not saying this may occur, I’m simply saying it’s in play now. And whereas that may be WILDLY unfair to an entire host of individuals, one thing tells me most followers gained’t care about that.

Ladies’s flyweight

The place does Alexa Grasso go from right here? I assume her championship was a fluke.

Additionally, Silva has an actual probability of dethroning Shevchenko. Is she the way forward for the 125 division?

Oof, speak in regards to the greatest loser on Saturday. Alexa Grasso is now in profession purgatory, and looking out just like the crowning achievement of her profession will go down as an aberration. Brutal flip of occasions for Grasso.

Let’s begin by saying Grasso’s win over Shevchenko wasn’t a fluke, however it appears clear now that it wasn’t the almost definitely final result. In the event that they battle 10 instances, Shevchenko wins greater than half of them. However Grasso was ready on the evening that it mattered and located a approach to win. That’s commendable.

It additionally illustrates my oft-repeated level that defending a title over and over is the toughest factor to do in MMA. As a result of each day trip, you’re getting the perfect shot from somebody who has spent their total life making ready for this battle. One mistake, one slip, and it’s all gone.

As for the place Grasso goes, there’s nowhere to go. She in all probability can’t make 115, and she or he’d be very undersized at 135, that means she’s caught at flyweight. Solely now there’s a crop of up-and-comers, which suggests she’s in all probability about to be the launching pad for future title aspirants.

As for Silva, sure, she might be the long run at flyweight. She regarded incredible on Saturday, and whereas I gained’t go as far as to say she’d beat Shevchenko in the event that they fought subsequent, she definitely might. I imagine Silva and Erin Blanchfield are destined for a trilogy of flyweight title fights within the coming years.

However for now, it’s fairly clearly about to be Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili subsequent. It’s a matchup of two of the 4 best feminine fighters of all-time. You need to do this subsequent.

Jose Aldo retirement

Do you suppose Aldo is retiring for actual?

I don’t.

After losing a *cough* garbage *cough* decision to Aiemann Zahabi on Saturday, Jose Aldo stated that was in all probability his final time within the octagon. The UFC Corridor of Famer and featherweight GOAT later doubled down on this, saying it “may have been my last time inside the octagon.” And to me, that tells us what we have to know. If he have been dedicated, it wouldn’t be “could.”

That is definitely a little bit of armchair psychology, however I feel Aldo was simply annoyed this week. It’s been a gripe I’ve repeated a number of instances, however it’s exhausting to overstate how badly the UFC has managed this remaining run of his. Certain, Jonathan Martinez in Rio is a minimum of explicable, however then reserving Aldo in opposition to Mario Bautista and Zahabi was simply mindless. These aren’t massive names, which undoubtedly makes it tougher to care about dealing with them. His candid admission that his weight minimize failed as a result of he couldn’t get previous it mentally, to me, reads like a person who couldn’t dial in to battle some random dude. As a result of why would he? These aren’t legendary names or legacy fights, just a few dudes. It’s exhausting for me to suppose he wouldn’t be extra locked in if the battle was a big-name, legacy matchup. And, in fact, to prime all of it off, his final two losses have been unhealthy choices.

I feel after taking a while to mirror, Aldo goes to understand he’s not finished preventing; he’s simply finished preventing meaningless scraps. But when the UFC involves Jose in a number of months and says, “We’re going to Rio this fall, you vs. Patricio Pitbull, you ?” I feel Aldo is altering his tune.

Not less than, I hope so.

Thanks for studying and because of everybody who despatched in tweets (Xs?)! Do you’ve gotten any burning questions on issues a minimum of considerably associated to fight sports activities? You then’re in luck as a result of you possibly can ship your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I’ll reply all the nice ones! It doesn’t matter in the event that they’re topical or insane, simply as long as they’re good. Thanks once more, and see y’all subsequent week.