*Belal Muhammad looks to set up a choke while controlling Leon Edwards. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

The UFC ventures to the Bell Centre in Montréal, Canada, with an outstanding pay-per-view card. From the opening bell, this card is stacked with exciting matchups, rising contenders, and crafty veterans looking for a victory on Saturday night. In the co-main event, we’ll see women’s Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defend her belt against red-hot French prospect Manon Fiorot. We’re blessed with another title fight in the main event, in which powerful grappler and Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad defends his title for the first time against the heavy-handed Jack Della Maddalena. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Benoît Saint Denis vs. Kyle Prepolec

*Benoît Saint Denis blasts Thiago Moisés with a powerful elbow. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Lightweight Bout

Benoît Saint Denis: 13-3-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Kyle Prepolec: 18-8-0, 10 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Saint Denis has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Ismael Bonfim (20-5-0), Thiago Moisés (19-8-0), and Matt Frevola (11-5-1). A well-rounded scrapper, he’s constantly pressing forward with heavy kicks and throwing bombs. He throws everything with fight-ending intentions and uses his striking to get inside and pursue takedowns. Saint Denis is an excellent grappler, holding a black belt in Judo, a brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a great variety of submissions on his record. Training at CYFIT, he typically secures takedowns quickly and has heavy top control, always choosing position over submission and rarely putting himself in risky spots. Whether on the feet or the mat, he’s always trying to end the fight and remains dangerous throughout. A decorated veteran and former Special Forces paratrooper, Saint Denis is incredibly tough and capable of enduring impressive damage.

*Kyle Prepolec exchanges blows with Nordine Taleb. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Prepolec has won four of his last five bouts and is returning to the UFC after his release in 2019. He’s a powerful striker with dangerous kicks who’s always coming forward. He’s a very measured striker, throwing every shot with power and purpose while picking his spots. Prepolec has great head movement and distance management, regularly blitzing in and out of the pocket while looking to counterstrike. He has outstanding kicks, particularly to the head, and won’t telegraph them, regularly mixing them into and at the end of combinations. He won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges, but has solid takedown defense and can defend shots along the fence and in open space. Prepolec typically gets off to a quick start and maintains a consistent pace, securing his last three victories all via first-round knockout.

#1 Alexa Grasso vs. #5 Natalia Silva

*Alexa Grasso submits Valentina Shevchenko with a vicious rear naked choke. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Women’s Flyweight

Alexa Grasso: 16-4-1, 4 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Natalia Silva: 18-5-1, 5 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Grasso has won three of her last five outings with one draw and has wins over Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1), #4 ranked Flyweight Maycee Barber (14-2-0), #8 ranked Flyweight Viviane Araújo (13-6-0). She is an excellent technical boxer who throws everything purposefully and in combination. She’s aggressive but not wild, staying technical and using timing and accuracy to damage her opponents. Grasso has a solid chin and is dangerous inside the pocket, but is also defensively sound, having defended 58% of significant strikes attempted on her in the UFC. She holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is always dangerous on the ground. She’s constantly working, looking to posture up and land damage while threatening submissions. Grasso is a volume striker with excellent cardio, pushing a heavy pace throughout and landing, on average, 66 significant strikes per fight in her last five appearances.

*Natalia Silva lands a brutal kick to the face of J*é*ssica Andrade. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Silva is on a twelve-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #7 ranked Flyweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0), #8 ranked Flyweight Viviane Araújo (13-6-0), #9 ranked Flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius (13-3-0). She is a fantastic striker with lightning-fast kicks and excellent footwork. She’s constantly feinting with her hips and switching stances, making her wildly unpredictable. Silva is highly accurate and throws every shot with power and purpose, usually starting or ending combinations with kicks. Training with Team Borracha, she does an excellent job of holding the center, constantly moving in and out of the pocket without absorbing damage. She’s willing to grapple but tends to keep it on the feet, having defended 91% of takedowns attempted on her in the UFC. Silva pushes a fast pace across the entire fight, but will remain technical throughout.

#11 José Aldo vs. #15 Aiemann Zahabi

*José Aldo lands a stinging left hand on Pedro Munhoz. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

José Aldo: 32-9-0, 17 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Aiemann Zahabi: 12-2-0, 6 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Aldo has won three of his last five fights, with UFC victories coming over #7 ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (23-10-1), #8 ranked Bantamweight Rob Font (22-8-0), and #10 ranked Lightweight Renato Moicano (20-6-1). Widely considered the Featherweight GOAT, he is a legend of the sport, holding eight victories in UFC title fights and over two decades of experience. He’s an excellent technical striker who throws everything with power and in combination. Training at Nova União, Aldo utilizes a mix of devastating leg kicks and punch combinations to batter his opponent. He is one of the best defensive wrestlers of all time and has defended 92% of takedowns attempted on him, dating back to his time in the WEC. He has excellent submissions, heavy ground and pound, and smothering top pressure when the fight goes to the mat. Aldo is one of the most vicious strikers in the history of MMA and is always hunting for a finish.

*Faras Zahabi blasts Ricky Turcious with a thudding head kick. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Zahabi is on a five-fight winning streak and has UFC victories over Javid Basharat (14-2-0), Pedro Munhoz (20-10-0), and Aoriqileng (25-12-0). Zahabi is a sharp striker with crisp boxing and solid power in his hands. He’s highly technical, always keeping his guard high and his punches tight and straight, rarely getting drawn into a brawl. He favors power to volume but is highly explosive, often going from 0-60 on a moment’s notice and extending five or six punch combinations. He has excellent footwork and distance management, remaining in perpetual motion while darting in and out of the pocket without taking damage. Training at TriStar Gym, he’s unlikely to take the fight to the mat but has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and excellent takedown defense. Zahabi has secured all his finishes in round one, but heats up as the fight continues, steadily increasing his pace and output.

(C) Valentina Shevchenko vs. #2 Manon Fiorot

*Valentina Shevchenko cracks Alexa Grasso with a powerful left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Women’s Flyweight Title Bout

Valentina Shevchenko: 24-4-1, 8 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Manon Fiorot: 12-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Shevchenko has won three of her last five fights with one draw and has UFC victories over Bantamweight champion Julianna Peña (12-5-0), #1 ranked Flyweight Alexa Grasso (16-4-1), and #7 ranked Flyweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0). She holds black belts in Taekwondo and Judo and the rank of Master of Sports in Taekwondo, Judo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Boxing. One of the best strikers in the sport, she always throws in combination and has excellent power and speed in her hands and kicks. Training at Tiger Muay Thai, Shevchenko does a great job of evenly varying her shots, attacking the head, body, and legs. She’s landed, on average, over four takedowns per fight in her last five appearances and has excellent top control, ground and pound, and chokes. She does everything with impressive speed and has excellent distance management, rarely staying in the pocket long enough to get hit. One of the most prolific champions in UFC history, she has the most fight time, title victories, takedowns landed, and knockout wins in the Women’s Flyweight division, along with many other records.

*Manon Fiorot blitzes towards Rose Namajunas with a left hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Fiorot is on a 12-fight win streak and has UFC victories coming over #3 ranked Flyweight Erin Blanchfield (13-2-0), #7 ranked Flyweight Rose Namajunas (13-6-0), and #8 ranked Bantamweight Mayra Bueno Silva (10-5-1). She is an efficient, karate-style fighter with serious power and speed. She uses her lead leg excellently, constantly throwing side and head kicks without telegraphing. Fiorot is in perpetual motion and has solid output, but is very accurate and throws everything purposefully. Training with the Boxing Squad, she has excellent footwork and effortlessly moves in and out of the pocket. She has outlanded seven of her eight UFC opponents and has successfully defended 68% of the strikes attempted on her in the promotion. Fiorot has landed at least one takedown in six of her seven UFC wins, has solid wrestling, and will rain down ground and pound shots when in top position.

(C) Belal Muhammad vs. #5 Jack Della Maddalena

*Belal Muhammad unloads ground and pound strikes onto Stephen Thompson. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Welterweight Title Bout

Belal Muhammad: 24-3-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Jack Della Maddalena: 17-2-0, 12 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Muhammad is on a 10-fight win streak with one draw and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Welterweight Sean Brady (18-1-0), #3 ranked Welterweight Leon Edwards (22-5-0), and #8 ranked Welterweight Gilbert Burns (22-8-0). Primarily a wrestler, he prefers to take the fight to the mat, using blast double-leg takedowns to drag his opponents to the floor and do damage. He has heavy top pressure, advances position quickly, and never puts himself in dangerous spots. On the feet, Muhammad uses a heavy-handed boxing style, remaining technical and throwing in combination, often using his striking to set up his grappling. Training at Valle Flow Striking, he’s landing, on average, about 80 significant strikes per fight in his last five outings and pushes a consistent pace throughout. He’s exceptionally defensively sound, having defended 89% of takedowns and 57% of strikes attempted on him in the UFC. Muhammad has outstruck eight of his last ten opponents and is always looking to wear down and outpace his foe.

*Jack Della Maddalena lands a perfectly-timed knee to the face of Gilbert Burns. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Maddalena is on a seventeen-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Welterweight Gilbert Burns (22-8-0), Kevin Holland (27-13-0), and Randy Brown (20-6-0). He is an excellent striker with technical boxing and bricks for hands who carries power going forward and backward. He’s outlanded seven of his eight UFC opponents, using excellent distance management and head movement to batter his adversaries while remaining elusive. Maddalena throws everything in combination and excels at changing levels, attacking the head and body evenly. He’s an exceptionally defensively sound striker, always keeping his guard high and tight, and has defended 66% of strikes thrown at him. Training at Scrappy MMA, he fights behind his jab and often strings together long, seven or 8-piece combinations that badly damage his opponent. While Maddalena won’t usually go to the ground, he’s shown great scrambles, takedown defense, and an ability to escape deep waters.

Best Bets

Aldo vs. Zahabi to Go the Distance: This is a fascinating matchup of a rising prospect and an established legend. Zahabi has quietly been racking up solid victories and impressive performances en route to this matchup. Meanwhile, Aldo is one of the greatest Featherweights of all time and is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss. Although Zahabi possesses knockout power, he typically has a reserved, technical style and will gradually increase his pace and output as the fight continues. Similarly, Aldo can produce flash finishes but is a very technical striker, often slowly breaking down his opponents with leg kicks and body shots. While I certainly wouldn’t consider either of them gun-shy, this will likely be a slower-paced, competitive striking match with both fighters respecting the other’s power. I anticipate a feeling-out process to start the fight, with both fighters looking to establish their distance and timing while looking for openings. I expect the fight to stay standing, with both men remaining where they’re most comfortable, and for three complete rounds of high-level striking to take place.

Valentina Shevchenko Moneyline: The first of two title fights on the main card, I’m looking forward to this one. Fiorot has been on an impressive, undefeated run in the UFC, largely utilizing her technical striking to realize those victories. Shevchenko is arguably the greatest female Flyweight of all time, with twelve of her last thirteen fights having gold on the line. Although they may initially appear to have similar styles, they’re very different fighters. Both are typically viewed as strikers, but their striking styles are vastly different: Fiorot uses a traditional, karate-like style, constantly bouncing and throwing shots with her front hand and foot. Shevchenko is more of a classical Muay Thai striker, utilizing all her limbs and throwing heavy combinations. Shevchenko also has a more well-rounded style, regularly pursuing and landing multiple takedowns, having landed eight takedowns in her last appearance. Fiorot seems to use her grappling to remain unpredictable; although she’s landed a takedown in six of her seven UFC fights, she’s never had more than 4:05 of control time. Fiorot has also never faced an opponent with Shevchenko’s grappling prowess, particularly not a grappler with both wrestling and submission abilities. I expect the fight to open with a few close striking exchanges before Shevchenko starts mixing in her grappling. I anticipate Shevchenko will control the pace and distance of the fight, hold the center of the octagon, land multiple takedowns, gett the best of the striking, and defend her title successfully.

Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena Over 4.5 Rounds: An outstanding matchup of two of the best in the Welterweight division, this title fight is an excellent way to close the card. This is a classic matchup of striker vs. grappler; Maddalena favors a boxing style, utilizing his power and handspeed to get the job done, while Muhammad uses his wrestling and strength to control and drain his opponents. Muhammad has boldly claimed he will not shoot a takedown in this fight, but given the matchup and apparent striking advantage of Maddalena, I’d be surprised if he follows through on that. This will be a very close, competitive fight regardless of Muhammad's game plan. Although Maddalena is an outstanding striker, his takedown defense isn’t infallible, with Gilbert Burns taking him down seven times in his last outing. So while I expect plenty of exchanges on the feet, Muhammad will likely land takedowns and slow the fight's pace with smothering top control. I also expect Maddalena to be a bit more measured on the feet in an effort not to create takedown openings, which also slows the pace. Ultimately, I do expect this fight to be entertaining, but if there is a finish, I see it coming later in the fight, and I expect this scrap to last at least past the halfway point of round 5.

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