The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Canada for the first
time in 2026. Headlining
UFC Winnipeg was a welterweight clash between former title
challenger Gilbert
Burns and rising contender Mike Malott.
The 12-fight card also featured worthwhile fights in the
lightweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight divisions.
Here are the matches to make for the UFC Winnipeg main card
winners.
Malott (14-2-1) picked up the biggest win of his career in the main
event by
picking up a TKO finish over Burns (22-10) in the third round.
“Proper” has now put together four straight victories and deserves
a genuine contender. Former champion Edwards makes a lot of sense,
as it’s a step down for “Rocky,” who is coming off back-to-back
losses to Sean Brady
and Carlos
Prates since dropping the belt to Belal
Muhammad in 2024. This will give Edwards (22-6), who is still
just 34, a chance to get his mojo back while also giving Malott an
opportunity to elevate himself into the title picture. It’d be a
great Fight Night main event and one I’d gladly tune into.
Jourdain extended his win streak to three as he won a hard-fought
decision over Kyler
Phillips. “Air” is always exciting inside the Octagon, and I’d
like to see Jourdain (18-8-1) test an exciting prospect next. Rosas
Jr. has quickly become a fan-favorite within the UFC and is
currently riding a five-fight win streak that includes a decision
over Rob
Font. Just 21, Rosas Jr. (12-1) would be given a solid step up
to see if he can take on a skilled bantamweight in his prime and
Jourdain would have a chance to get into the UFC rankings.
In a wild round of the year contender, Herbert brawled with
Mandel
Nallo until he picked up a
TKO victory in just over two minutes. Herbert (14-6-1) has now
won two of his last three fights inside the UFC and is a reliable
action fighter. The 37-year-old is unlikely to go on a title run,
but he can put on some stellar fights so let’s match him up with
McKinney next. “T.Wrecks” is coming off a 24-second TKO over
Kyle
Nelson and has won three of his last four fights. Both Herbert
and McKinney (18-8) always go all out and while this fight won’t
last long, it would be a guaranteed good time.
Jasudavicius got back into the win column by taking a decision over
Karine
Silva. The Canadian standout has now won six of her last seven
fights in the promotion and also holds key wins over Jessica
Andrade and Mayra
Bueno Silva. A fight against another contender is a certainty,
and Blanchfield has also been streaking with 7 of her 8 UFC fights
being victories. Let’s see if “Cold Blooded” can take out
Jasudavicius (15-4) or if the 37-year-old can make a late title
surge at the expense of Blanchfield (14-2).
Young came back from a rough first round to win a split decision
over Thiago
Moises. Now 2-1 nside the UFC, Young (11-3) has shown that he
can take on an experienced veteran. “Gee Money” is just 25, so I’d
like to see him take on another younger fighter with plenty to
prove. Zellhuber fits that bill nicely, as “Golden Boy” desperately
needs a win after dropping decisions to Esteban
Ribovics and Michael
Johnson and getting knocked out by Bobby Green.
Let’s see if Zellhuber (15-4) can bounce back or if Young is the
more promising young lightweight.