The
Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will make the next
stop on its 2026 world tour when
UFC Fight Night 273 drops in on Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the
first time in more than eight years. Welterweights take center
stage in the main event at the Canada Life Centre, where Gilbert
Burns looks to stand his ground in the Top 15 against Mike
Malott.

Buckle up, as we examine the card from a bettor’s perspective and
do all we can to get the most bang for our buck in the latest
installment of Prime Picks:

STRAIGHT-UP PASS

Jourdain once again maintains a tenuous hold on momentum. A former
TKO
Major League MMA champion, the 30-year-old Canadian enters his
bantamweight co-headliner opposite Kyler
Phillips on the heels of back-to-back guillotine choke
submission victories over Victor
Henry and Davy Grant. Interesting tidbit: Jourdain has never
won three fights in a row in the UFC during his seven-year run with
the organization. In Phillips (+120), he draws a Rubik’s cube
opponent who excels in many of the same areas he does. The
MMA Lab rep finds himself on a two-fight losing streak, knowing
a third straight loss would push him even further down the pecking
order at 135 pounds. Phillips’ past victories over Yadong
Song, Raoni
Barcelos and Pedro
Munhoz serve as a reminder of his considerable capabilities
once the cage door closes behind him. Jourdain should be favored,
but this has all the hallmarks of a potential trap fight on his
home turf.’DOG WILL HUNT

Moises was never mighty, but he certainly has fallen. The
American Top Team-trained Brazilian tries to steady himself in
the 155-pound weight class when he toes the line against Gauge Young
in a three-round lightweight showcase. Moises, 31, flirted with
contention some five years ago—remember, he fought Islam
Makhachev in the UFC on ESPN 26 main event in 2021—but has
since slipped into a maddening cycle of inconsistency. The onetime

Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion has alternated between
wins and losses in each of his past five appearances, his victories
against Mitch
Ramirez and Trey Ogden
overshadowed by defeats to Benoit St.
Denis, Ludovit
Klein and Jared
Gordon. Nevertheless, Moises’ well-rounded skills, his
grappling in particular, make him a real threat to anyone outside
of the divisional elite. Young definitely qualifies. “Gee Money”
fell to Quillan
Salkilld on
Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2024, made his
Octagon debut in a loss to Evan Elder
some eight months later and broke into the win column in his most
recent outing—a unanimous decision over Maheshate
Hayisaer at UFC Fight Night 257 on Aug. 23. Experience,
pedigree and track record all favor Moises.

AN ACCUMULATION CONTEMPLATION
Burns-Malott goes the distance (+300)
Mandel
Nallo wins inside the distance (+100)

Total Odds: +1056
The sun has begun to set on Burns’ outstanding career. Part of the
UFC fabric for the better part of 12 years now, the four-time
Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion heads into his five-round
headliner against Malott clinging to a roster spot, his shaky
position the result of an alarming four-fight losing streak. Closer
inspection reveals a murderer’s row of opposition, as those
setbacks have come against Belal
Muhammad, Jack
Della Maddalena, Sean Brady
and Michael
Morales—men with a combined record of 79-10. In short,
matchmakers have not been kind to Burns. Malott, for all his
upside, represents a step back in competition for the former title
challenger. The Canadian has never finished anyone close to Burns’
caliber and could be in for a prolonged battle as he hunts the most
significant victory of his career. Oversight from the judges may be
required.

Meanwhile, Nallo has put himself in position for a late-stage run
at relevance. The Tristar Gym export draws his first UFC test
against former Cage
Warriors champion Jai Herbert
and waltzes into their lightweight feature on the heels of five
consecutive first-round finishes. Nallo secured his spot on the
roster via DWCS in September, when he punched out Samuel
Silva in a little more than three minutes. The Firas Zahabi
protégé has nailed down all 14 of his victories by knockout,
technical knockout or submission, providing him with the kind of
action-hero profile that promotional power brokers prefer If Nallo
wants to make some real waves at the sport’s highest level, now
appears to be the time. He should have a willing dance partner in
Herbert, who has been stopped in four of his six pro losses.

Finally, Barbosa packs some serious wallop into his 5-foot-6 frame.
“Ticoto” makes his anticipated UFC debut when his three-round
featherweight prelim against Dennis
Buzukja anchors the undercard. Barbosa seems to be hitting his
stride at age 27, as evidenced by the four consecutive first-round
knockouts that have boosted his finish rate to an eye-popping 94%.
The Giants Team product cut his teeth in the
Legacy Fighting Alliance, Jungle
Fight and Shooto
Brazil organizations before he excelled on the Contender Series
in August, when he put away Damon
Wilson with contract-clinching punches 4:14 into their
encounter at the UFC Apex. Barbosa gets what appears to be an
advantageous assignment in Winnipeg. Buzukja has lost three of his
first four fights in the UFC, including a 49-second stoppage defeat
to Jamall
Emmers in 2023. Worse still, the ex-Ring of
Combat champion has not suited up in more than 600 days. Rust
and Barbosa do not mix.