UFC Winnipeg is in the books, and it was a rocky start for Team Canada, that transitioned to a strong finish.
Nationality really shouldn’t matter in fighting, mind you, except when it does (more on that shortly). What should matter is the fights, and we certainly had some entertaining ones over the weekend.
Having made my way back to sunnier shores this morning after several days in the bipolar climate of Winterpeg sorry, Winnipeg, and after a pit stop on Alex K. Lee’s On to the Next One to do a little matchmaking (be sure to go check that out!), it’s time for me to give a few final thoughts on the UFC’s first trip to Canada in 2026.
Main Event Talent Is Back in Canada
The last Canadian to headline a UFC event, prior to Mike Malott on Saturday, was Felica Spencer, who challenged Amanda Nunes for the now defunct UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship at UFC 250 on June 6, 2020.
Let that sink in for a bit. Nearly six years ago. Peak COVID-19 MMA, empty venue. A numbered event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, in fact.
MMA isn’t a sport where nationality should really matter. I’ve long suggested (though UFC VP of International and Content David Shaw feels otherwise) that you don’t need a big Canadian star to run events in Canada. Just bring a few big names, like adopted Canuck Max Holloway, and educated fans will be perfectly happy.
That’s worked with Holloway, with Charles Oliveira, it certainly worked with Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto, which happens to be the first UFC event I was ever in the building for.
The promotion, however, favours having Canadian talent topping Canadian cards, Brazilian talent topping Brazilian cards, British talent topping British cards, so on and so forth. Especially for Fight Nights, where champions and megastars are far less likely to appear.
Enter UFC Winnipeg, and Mike Malott. After putting together a 6-1 record through his first seven UFC bouts, the UFC decided it was time to give the unranked welterweight another step up. He’d had one of those at UFC 297 a couple of years back, against Neil Magny, and stumbled, dominating until he gassed late. Magny stole a come-from-behind victory. Malott’s lone UFC loss, and he proved on Saturday that the gas tank concerns have, to at least some extent, been addressed. Paired up with Brazilian veteran Gilbert Burns, Malott found the TKO finish at 2:08 of the third round.
No, he didn’t go five, didn’t need to. But through two and a half rounds, he never seemed to be tired, never seemed to slow a step. It’s a good sign.
The UFC is positioning Malott and Aiemann Zahabi, who fights at the White House in less than two months, to do some heavy lifting in Canada. Jasmine Jasudavicius kicked off the UFC’s return to Canada a few years ago, but Malott is the most bankable star, while Zahabi is closest to a title shot. Expect Malott to headline the UFC’s next trip to Canada if it’s a Fight Night. If it’s a Pay-Per-View, well, if Zahabi gets the win over Sean O’Malley at Freedom 250 on June 14, there are worse ideas than Petr Yan vs. Aiemann Zahabi on Canadian soil. And Malott almost certainly gets a co-main event slot there.
Farewell, Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns has called it a career. We think.
MMA retirements have a funny tendency not to stick, but Burns said following his loss to Mike Malott at UFC Winnipeg that he thought he was done, adding that he was “content” and had fought “everyone.”
Burns, who started at lightweight but wound up challenging Kamaru Usman for welterweight gold in 2021, was a workhorse for the UFC. A reliable fighter who competed in big fights, took on all comers, and headlined five events for the promotion.
He was also the Gilbert whose name was spelled correctly by Reebok, so he had that going for him.
Burns is one of those fighters that every promotion needs. Even when he wasn’t at the top of the card, he put on big performances. In wins, and losses. Burns is responsible for giving Khamzat Chimaev his biggest test to this day. Picked up wins over the likes of ex-champ Tyron Woodley, title challenger Demian Maia, fan favourite Jorge Masvidal, and future PFL two-time champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Elite fighters and fan favourites.
Don’t remember him for the tailspin at the end. Just remember the exciting fights, win or lose.
Rough Start, Strong Finish for Team Canada
4-5 on the night isn’t what Canada was hoping for.
Yes, I just got finished saying that nationality shouldn’t matter in MMA. And for individual cards, that’s true. The health of the sport in a given region is important though, and for the last few years, Canada has been in rebuilding mode.
The likes of Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald, Mark Hominick, Valerie Letourneau, and Olivier Aubin-Mercier have all retired. Malott, Jasudavicius, Jourdain, and Zahabi are at the forefront of the sport now, but none have fought for a title, let alone held one.
There was a lot, and I do mean a lot, of chatter online criticizing the UFC’s selection of Canadian fighters, and the performances of those fighters themselves.
My immediate response is the most Canadian possible: take off, hosers! More seriously, don’t panic just yet.
Jamie Siraj, Julien Leblanc, and Mandel Nallo all made their promotional debuts at UFC Winnipeg, and all three were finished. Siraj and Nallo were in very entertaining fights, particularly Nallo, and there is zero question that “Rat Garbage” (or “Mango, if we must) is a quality fighter. Siraj went through hell just to stay alive, overcoming sepsis, an autoimmune disorder, and spending time in a medically induced coma just to be here walking the earth, let alone fighting. Both he and Leblanc will get another look. Nallo obviously will as well.
Jamey-Lyn Horth… well, judges are what they are. Plenty of robbery talk. Dana White shut that down by saying two of the three judges were Canadian, and that all three judges awarded the same score. That doesn’t make her loss to JJ Aldrich any less questionable.
Tanner Boser’s reintroduction to the UFC, at heavyweight, was wildly entertaining. So while he was finished by Gokhan Saricam, he can at least say he helped continue the recent (very recent) resurgence of the heavyweight division.
With Jasudavicius, Jourdain, and Malott winning on the main card, all was not lost for Canada. Sometimes it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The lasting images from UFC Winnipeg will be Malott finishing Burns, and his electric walkout to Sum 41’s Fat Lip.
