5 fighters who have the most to gain at UFC 315: Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena

This weekend sees the UFC visit Montreal for the first time in a decade. The promotion will be putting on a major pay-per-view, with two title fights.

Naturally, there's plenty on the line at UFC 315: Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena, and some fighters stand to gain huge if they win.

Whether they can pull off a victory, of course, remains to be seen, but if they can, their stars will rise substantially.

Here are five fighters who have the most to gain at UFC 315: Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena.

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#5. Kyle Prepolec - UFC lightweight contender

It stands to reason that any fighter who accepts a late-notice UFC fight has more to gain than they have to lose. After all, nobody's expecting them to win, and even a semi-competent showing can earn a fighter a longer stint in the promotion.

Diego Lopes and Lando Vannata, for instance, are just two fighters who found plenty of success despite losing late-notice debuts.

Lightweight Kyle Prepolec finds himself in that position this weekend in Montreal. The Canadian is not technically a debutant, as he had a two-fight stint in the octagon in 2019, losing both of his bouts.

Since then, 'Kill Shot' is 4-1, and is riding a three-fight win streak, with all three wins coming via KO.

Is anyone really giving him a shot against Benoit Saint-Denis? Of course not. 'God of War' is a hugely talented fighter who went toe-to-toe with Dustin Poirier in 2024. If anything, the Frenchman can be expected to right the ship with an easy win.

However, Saint-Denis will gain nothing from beating Prepolec, while the Canadian has everything to gain. Facing a highly-touted opponent who could be vulnerable coming off two losses, Prepolec will fancy himself for the upset.

It's unlikely, then, but if 'Kill Shot' can win, it'd be huge for his career.

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#4. Natalia Silva - UFC flyweight contender

One fighter who could make a huge step forward in her UFC career this weekend is flyweight Natalia Silva.

The Brazilian is set to meet former 125-pound champ Alexa Grasso on the main card in what is a big step up in competition for her.

Silva did defeat former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade in her last bout, but realistically, 'Bate Estaca' is a small 125-pounder who's slightly past her best now. The same cannot be said for Grasso, the only fighter to ever beat Valentina Shevchenko at this weight.

Does Silva have any chance of producing an upset, then? There are some reasons for her to be confident.

She's not been beaten since 2018 and has won 12 fights in a row, including six in the octagon.

She's also shown she has dangerous skills in all areas, and against Andrade, she was able to bully her foe with power and volume, without really slowing down.

Grasso promises to be a different challenge altogether, as the Mexican has remarkably quick hands and is an underrated grappler. Over three rounds, though, if Silva can push a torrid pace, the upset isn't impossible.

If she can knock off a former champ at the top of her game, a title shot could lie in her future, meaning Silva has plenty to gain this weekend.

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#3. Aiemann Zahabi - UFC bantamweight contender

While it's fair to say that Jose Aldo is years past his prime at this stage, the former UFC featherweight champion still carries plenty of name value. What's more, he is still ranked at No.11 in the bantamweight division.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that Aiemann Zahabi, who welcomes Aldo to the octagon this weekend, has plenty to gain if he can beat him.

Once better known as the younger brother of legendary coach Firas Zahabi, Aiemann is currently 6-2 in the octagon and is riding a five-fight win streak.

Nobody would claim that he's a flashy fighter, as he lacks true explosive athleticism, but Zahabi also has excellent technique and fundamentals, and doesn't have any clear-cut weaknesses.

Given Aldo did not look good in his last fight - a dull loss to Mario Bautista - it's slightly surprising that the Brazilian legend is the betting favorite in this bout.

Not only is he up against a fighter who appears to be hitting good form right now, but the crowd should also be behind Zahabi, who fights out of Montreal.

Essentially, this is a huge opportunity for Zahabi to claim some notoriety by beating a legend in his backyard. If he can pull it off, then he will gain not only the biggest win of his career, but a lot of momentum too.

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#2. Manon Fiorot - UFC flyweight contender

Naturally, the fighters on this card set to challenge for UFC titles have more to gain than anyone else in action.

The first of those fighters is French striker Manon Fiorot, who will face Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title in the co-headliner.

Unbeaten in the octagon at 7-0 and 12-1 overall, 'The Beast' has thus far used her powerful striking to get past everyone put in front of her. That's included both Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield, whom she beat in her last two bouts.

Realistically, the odds are stacked against Fiorot. While she's proven to be an excellent striker, outlanding most of her opponents, she's never fought an opponent as dynamic on the feet as Shevchenko.

More to the point, while her takedown defense has largely held up thus far - only Jennifer Maia has taken her down - Fiorot is still a question mark on the ground. In contrast, 'The Bullet' is a lethal grappler.

Having said all that, Shevchenko has been around for well over a decade now. She's getting no younger and will likely fall off at some point. Fiorot will be hopeful that point is this weekend - and if she can produce what would be a huge upset, she should become a star in her own right.

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#1. Jack Della Maddalena - UFC welterweight contender

There can be no doubt that the fighter with the most to gain at UFC 315 is Jack Della Maddalena.

The Aussie is set to fight welterweight champ Belal Muhammad in the event's headliner, and given the way he was given a title shot, he literally has nothing to lose.

'JDM' is not the top contender in the division right now; Sean Brady is actually ranked No.1 while the Australian is No.5. In fact, this weekend's title shot was initially set to go to Shavkat Rakhmonov before 'The Nomad' suffered an injury.

With that considered, Della Maddalena is probably getting this opportunity early. He's been viewed as a future title contender for some time, but can he pull off a shock victory this weekend?

It definitely won't be easy for him, as Muhammad is a pressuring, stifling fighter who will no doubt look to take advantage of the wrestling weaknesses 'JDM' showed in his bout with Gilbert Burns.

However, with nothing to lose, the Australian is likely to come out swinging for the fences, and he's definitely got the punching power and boxing skills to give Muhammad trouble.

If Della Maddalena can win this fight, knocking off one of the less-popular UFC champions in the process, then he will absolutely be propelled to stardom too. His next fight, for instance, could easily come as a champion in his home country of Australia.

With that considered, 'JDM' has the most to gain this weekend.