Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Winnipeg
Identifying Three Rising Threats Looking To Break Through This Weekend At UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott
The last time UFC ventured to Winnipeg was kind of a weird time for Canadian MMA. Sure, Georges St-Pierre had just returned to win the middleweight title a month earlier, but Rory MacDonald had exited the promotion, and there weren’t really any real homegrown talents making genuine noise inside the Octagon.
Fast-forward eight years and four months and things are completely different: not only is Saturday’s fight card headlined by a streaking Canadian, but three athletes from the Great White North reside in the rankings in their respective weight classes, two more could potentially claim a number for next to their names this weekend, and this week’s host nation has a solid overall mix of established names, ascending talents, and gritty staples on the roster, representing the Maple Leaf proudly.
UFC Winnipeg Fight Card Preview
Two of those athletes are featured below, as this weekend’s event is a big moment for both, along with a streaking Brazilian flyweight who has all the talent to be a Top 10 fighter.
This is Fighters on the Rise for UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott.
Charles Jourdain
Gillian Robertson is the highest ranked Canadian at No. 5 in the strawweight division, and the streaking Aiemann Zahabi sits at No. 6 in the bantamweight ranks (and is fighting Sean O’Malley at the White House in June), yet the Canadian I’m most excited about right now is Jourdain, who has morphed into the best version of himself since relocating to the bantamweight division.
The French-Canadian showed plenty of flashes during his featherweight days — the finish of DooHo Choi in South Korea, the nasty chokes of Lando Vannata and Ricardo Ramos, the competitive battles with Andre Fili, Shane Burgos, and Nathaniel Wood — but he always looked and felt undersized.
After consecutive losses to Sean Woodson and Jean Silva, Jourdain worked with the UFC PI to figure out if a move down was doable, and he’s been lights out since, registering back-to-back submission wins with his signature high-elbow guillotine while maximizing the considerable tools that allowed him to be competitive at ’45. Seeing him at this weight, the way he’s performing, you’re tempted to wonder “what could have been,” but the great thing is that Jourdain is in the early part of his athletic prime, and the results are trending in the right direction heading into his third bantamweight appearance on Saturday.
READ: Jourdain Master of Chaos | Phillips Unloading The Matrix
This matchup with Kyler Phillips is a terrific litmus test as the MMA Lab product is 12-4 overall, dangerous in every facet, and has never been stopped. Plus, he’s beaten the likes of Song Yadong, Raoni Barcelos, and Pedro Munhoz. He’s the kind of guy that makes you pay if you make a mistake and can ruin your night if you’re not dialled in, which is exactly the type of person Jourdain needs to face after dispatching Victor Henry and Davey Grant, two grizzled veterans at different tiers in the deep bantamweight ranks.
A win could carry Jourdain into the rankings, but at the very least, it should set up a matchup later this year with someone in the Top 15, and there are a number of deeply fascinating options in the lower half that would be fun to see. If he gets through Phillips and does so with style points, expect to hear plenty of people wondering if Charles Jourdain is a dark horse to watch in the bantamweight division.
Julien Leblanc
Leblanc is a 34-year-old middleweight that doesn’t profile as your typical new arrival. He isn’t unbeaten, he didn’t earn his place with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series, and his last win was a quality finish over a sub-.500 veteran filling in on short notice, which has been part of the story of the Gatineau, Quebec native’s career.
But here’s what you need to know: since getting healthy and competing with some regularity beginning in 2023, Leblanc is 5-0 with three finishes, including a win over UFC vet Darian Weeks, and now, he’s set to step in against Robert Valentin this weekend with designs on immediately entrenching himself in the UFC middleweight division.
MAIN EVENT: Manifested Malott | Burn's Best
A longtime friend and training partner of Marc-Andre Barriault, Leblanc supplements his work at home with frequent trips to Kill Cliff FC, where he’s competing and learning in one of the best rooms in the sport. He has good size, is sharp in all facets, and has been on the radar for a couple years, and now he finally gets his chance.
The bout with Valentin is interesting on a number of fronts, including that Leblanc was a late cut from the Ultimate Fighter 32 casting process, which is the season where “Robzilla” shined as a fighter and coach on Team Grasso, advancing to the finals. Additionally, the Swiss fighter is a quick starter with his back against the wall, and Leblanc admittedly can be slow out of the gates at times, which is an interesting wrinkle to watch this weekend.
He’s been one of the best unsigned talents in this country for some time and has done all he can on the regional circuit in this country to earn his opportunity. Now that it’s here, it’s up to Leblanc to make the make the most of it, starting this weekend in Winnipeg.
Allan Nascimento
Nascimento is one debated split decision loss away from being 5-0 in the UFC, which may or may not change the fact that he currently resides outside the rankings, but then again, it still doesn’t make sense that he doesn’t given that he’s won four straight heading into his clash with Mitch Raposo on Saturday evening at Canada Life Centre.
“Puro Osso” followed up his debut split decision loss to Tagir Ulanbekov with wins over Jake Hadley, Carlos Hernandez, Jafel Filho, and Cody Durden, having submitted both Hernandez and Durden. The tough parts for the Chute Boxe Diego Lima man are that those four fights took place across four years — one in 2022, one in 2023, and then two last year — and he missed weight for the Filho bout, which feels like another iron in the “why to keep him out of the rankings” fire even though his results have been outstanding.
Allan Nascimento Wraps Up Submission Win In First Round | UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov
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Allan Nascimento Wraps Up Submission Win In First Round | UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov
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The 34-year-old Brazilian veteran is the kind of well-rounded, experienced talent that couple make a quick surge in the rankings with the right matchups and opportunities, but that also makes him someone that few are in a hurry to sign up and face, hence the pairing with Raposo this weekend. The Fall River, Massachusetts fighter feels like an odd dance partner for the ascending Nascimento, given that he’s coming off his first UFC win, but don’t expect that to diminish the Brazilian’s focus one bit.
There is a little “chance to make a statement” feel to this one — like Nascimento can show he’s ready for a much greater challenge by taking it to the Ultimate Fighter and DWCS alum — and if he does so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him facing someone with a number next to their name next time out… or carrying on himself.
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott took place live from Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Canada on April 18, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!