Preview: UFC 315 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will make its way to Montreal for the first time in more than a decade when UFC 315 touches down at the Bell Centre with a worthwhile preliminary slate that features plenty of Canadian talent. Welterweight prospect Mike Malott continues his comeback trail against Charlies Radtke atop the undercard, but the real gem comes in the form of Jasmine Jasudavicius’ flyweight showdown with Jessica Andrade. Meanwhile, the light heavyweight division provides some intrigue, as Modestas Bukauskas meets Ion Cutelaba and top prospect Navajo Stirling gets a small step up in competition against Ivan Erslan. The hometown faithful can even point to some Quebecois flavor, with Marc-Andre Barriault pitted against Bruno Silva in a winnable clash that should offer some action.

Now to the preview for the UFC 315 “Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena” prelims:

Welterweights

Mike Malott (11-2-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Charlie Radtke (10-4, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Malott (-192), Radtke (+160)

The UFC has seemingly been high from the jump on Malott as a potential Canadian star, and “Proper Mike” got off to the type of hot start that rewarded the company’s faith, kicking off his UFC career with three straight finishes. Malott has been at this as far back as 2011 despite an infrequent schedule of fights and put together a bit of an odd game during that time. A striking coach who often finds his most success on the mat, Malott tends to be a bit aimless but looks amazingly sharp when everything lines up correctly for him to spring into action, making his performances mostly boom-or-bust. Things were booming for Malott during his January 2024 fight against Neil Magny. It was Malott’s most complete showing to date up until the last minute and a half of the fight. Malott suddenly gassed out at that point, suffering a stunning come-from-behind finish that seems to have shaken him a bit. His November win over Trevin Giles was a tentative performance that still resulted in a win but failed to result in the expected showcase it figured to be on paper. Malott looks to show out more against Radtke, who has settled in as a fun middle-of-the-road welterweight. “Chuck Buffalo” wasn’t on the radar for a UFC callup when the promotion picked him up in 2023, but he has impressed with a fairly solid approach. Radtke’s game isn’t much more than a sharp left hook and some capable wrestling, but that has been enough to take apart everyone outside of Carlos Prates thus far. However, it’s still a package of skills that Malott should be able to outmaneuver, particularly if this gets to the mat; the only hope is that the Canadian takes enough initiative to truly impress. The pick is Malott via second-round submission.

Jump To »
Malott vs. Radtke
Jasudavicius vs. Andrade
Bukauskas vs. Cutelaba
Stirling vs. Erslan
Barriault vs. Silva
Lee vs. Santos
Almakhan vs. Katona