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Charles Jourdain | The Professional
Ascending French-Canadian Charles Jourdain Seeks Fourth Straight Bantamweight Win This Weekend In Clash With Former Title Challenger Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera
As anyone that has lived along the St. Lawrence Seaway can tell you it’s imperative that you take advantage of the limited stretch of sunshine and good days from the start of June to the end of August because, once September rolls around, the weather can shift unpredictably. Before you know it, you’re dealing with drizzle and sleet and snow and ice and you’re miserable.
Charles Jourdain had his summer planned out: fight Marlon “Chito” Vera on July 18 in Oklahoma City, register his fourth straight at bantamweight, and then enjoy the final six weeks of summer in “la belle province” with his family. However, that all changed when his pairing with Vera was pushed back to September 19 at Crypto.com UFC 331.
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“In Canada, the summer doesn’t last long and July was perfect,” Jourdain said. “I would have finished the fight July 18 and then I would have had my whole summer to go on vacation… I had a lot of stuff planned for the summer which sunk, but it’s okay… I took a week off, spent some time with the family, and then two camps for one fight.”
The bout was originally slotted as the co-main event in Oklahoma City, but shifting from a fight night show to a numbered event has its positives as does competing outside of Canada for the first time in two years.
Charles Jourdain: 'If I Underestimate Him, It Could Be The Worst Night Of My Life' | Crypto.com UFC 331
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Charles Jourdain: 'If I Underestimate Him, It Could Be The Worst Night Of My Life' | Crypto.com UFC 331
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“I can see the difference,” Jourdain said. “When I won against Kron Gracie at UFC 288, the difference of people and attraction on your social pages, especially after the fight, is incredible compared to Canada. The Canada cards are going a little bit under the radar. But, at the end of the day, the pay stays the same, so I don’t mind a good Canadian show.”
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The last time Jourdain competed was in Winnipeg in April where he registered a unanimous decision win over Kyler Phillips to move to 3-0 since moving to the 135-pound weight class.
Beating someone who owns wins over Song Yadong and Raoni Barcelos is always a positive, but the Montreal-native and his team came away from the contest with plenty they wanted to work on after a performance that felt a little too flat for their liking.
“I feel like I under-performed and I did a lot of mistakes in the camp leading up to the fight, especially with the weight cut,” explained Jourdain. “Now, I’m much leaner, much closer to the weight… I thought, ‘The bigger, the better’ and I was carrying too much muscle mass, and it didn’t help me during the grappling exchanges. Actually, it was a nuisance. Good thing I have proper cardio because that body wouldn’t last in the higher levels when it comes to the top-10, top-5. But now we’re back, back on track. My body has taken two years to turn into a bantamweight, and I think I’ve found the sweet spot when it comes to the weight… Of course, we were happy with the win, and the experience it gave us compared to the last two fights where I — I finished them not easily, but fast, so you don’t have too much to go back and watch. When you have a 3-round battle with Kyler Phillips, you can reassess a lot of things.”
With his weight dialed in and two camps to prepare for Saturday, Jourdain is eager to make the walk and see what version of Vera turns up in Los Angeles.
The former title challenger and owner of the most fights and finishes in bantamweight history arrives on a 4-fight losing streak stretching back to his championship rematch with “Suga” Sean O’Malley at UFC 299. As such, Jourdain is unsure of which version of the Ecuadorian veteran is going to be standing across from him this weekend, but he’s eager to find out.
UPCOMING UFC EVENT TICKETS: UFC Edmonton | UFC 332
“Chaos, violence, and I think he’s there to finish you before the bell, which I think is highly respectable,” Jourdain said. “Comparing him with some guys in the division, they are very good decision fighters. They don’t want to — they’re a little bit scared to lose, so they make sure they win on points, but him? He’s trying to finish you for the whole 15 minutes… There are so many scenarios of what kind of ‘Chito’ could be there. It could be the ‘Regular Chito’ — late starter, but intense, punching hard — or he could be giving everything from the opening bell because in his previous fights, he didn’t put the pedal to the metal. He did an interview with Ariel Helwani that I looked at where he was like, ‘It’s do or die’ and that’s dangerous… There are so many versions of Chito that could appear, so this is why I’m relaxed. No adaptability this time — it’s just my style and he’s gonna have to adapt.
“I think he’s gonna make a mistake rushing in too early,” added Jourdain. “That’s the Davey Grant mistake: thinking that I can’t put my knee in your face if you try to shoot or try to get into my legs or brawl. I’ll find that flying knee.”
Charles Jourdain Gets Submission Win In Bantamweight Debut | UFC Edmonton
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Charles Jourdain Gets Submission Win In Bantamweight Debut | UFC Edmonton
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After five years of inconsistent results at featherweight, Jourdain made the shift to bantamweight towards the end of 2024, rolling into Edmonton and becoming the first man to submit veteran Victor Henry. The following October, he floored Grant with his patented flying knee before once again clamping onto the high-elbow guillotine he’d used to finish three of his first seven UFC wins. And then in April, on a night where he didn’t feel his best and couldn’t perform up to his own expectations, he earned a third straight win and third consecutive post-fight bonuses, officially announcing his presence as a building threat in the bantamweight ranks.
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“It’s the best,” Jourdain said of fighting to his full potential and thriving in his new surrounds. “I feel I’ve grown tremendously in the past two years.
“I’ve become a professional,” he added with a smile. “I was a fighter, but I wasn’t a professional fighter. Now, being a pro, conducting myself as it is, doing the proper things, it has shown in my resume the past two years: undefeated at bantamweight and we’re gonna keep this thing rolling this weekend.”
Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 took place live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on September 19, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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