The UFC matchmakers must scramble to keep a fan favorite on the UFC 315 main card.
UFC 315 marks the promotion’s long-awaited return to Montreal after a lengthy wait for Canadian MMA fans. A UFC welterweight title matchup between Belal Muhammad and the surging Jack Della Maddalena headlines the card.
The other title matchup at UFC 315 marks the beginning of Valentina Shevchenko‘s second women’s flyweight title reign against Manon Fiorot in the co-main event. Shevchenko reclaimed the flyweight throne by outpointing Alexa Grasso in their trilogy in September.
But just days before the pay-per-view event, UFC 315 suffered a big blow in an intriguing lightweight matchup between two knockout artists.
UFC 315 loses main card fight just days before promotion’s return to Montreal
As reported by various outlets on Saturday, UFC lightweight Joel Alvarez has withdrawn from his scheduled matchup with Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 315. As of this writing, the reason behind Alvarez’s pull-out is unknown, as is whether or not Saint-Denis will get a short-notice replacement opponent.
French publication La Sueur was the first to report the news of Alvarez’s withdrawal.
It’s a disappointing setback for Alvarez after earning arguably the biggest win of his career at UFC Tampa in December. In a stunning finish, Alvarez knocked Drakkar Klose unconscious with a flying knee to continue his ascent in the lightweight division.
Alvarez has won three consecutive fights overall since a loss to top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan in 2022. He’s finished Marc Diakiese, Elves Brener, and Klose during his current streak.
Meanwhile, the UFC matchmakers will look to potentially find a short-notice replacement to face Saint-Denis at UFC 315. Saint-Denis is looking to bounce back after the first losing streak of his fighting career.
Benoit Saint-Denis looks to bounce back from consecutive TKO losses
Saint-Denis earned a showdown with Dustin Poirier by knocking out Matt Frevola with a head kick at UFC 295. He went on to lose to Poirier by second-round TKO at UFC 299, snapping a five-fight winning streak.
Saint-Denis then headlined UFC Paris in September, falling to Renato Moicano by TKO (doctor’s stoppage). His losses to Moicano and Poirier are the lone stoppage defeats of his career.
Before Saint-Denis’s recent struggles, the French standout ran through a slew of lightweights, including Thiago Moises and Ismael Bonfim. He was on a roll after a UFC debut loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 267.