Fight Coverage
Last Time In Winnipeg
Ahead Of The Octagon's Return To Winnipeg, We Are Taking A Look At The Last Time The UFC Held An Event In Manitoba Nearly Nine Years Ago
Nearly nine years have passed since the Octagon last touched down in Winnipeg. That’s a lifetime in mixed martial arts, but Manitoba’s most populous city gets a good one as Canada’s Mike Malott headlines against former title challenger Gilbert Burns on April 18.
Back in December 2017, they were treated to a main event battle between former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and former welterweight king Robbie Lawler, but the card also included two future light heavyweight champions in Glover Teixeira and Jan Błachowicz, as well as a pair of future title challengers in Josh Emmett and Jared Cannonier.
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Before the Manitoba mob urges Malott on as he locks horns with Gilbert Burns, we’re taking a look back at what went down in “Gateway to the West.”
RDA Sweeps Robbie Lawler, Earns Title Shot
The stakes were high in Winnipeg. With Tyron Woodley occupying the throne with three successful title defenses under his belt, the two veterans were keen to put their names atop the list of future opponents. Lawler, who Woodley beat to take the belt about two years prior, got back on track with a win over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone the same night Woodley thwarted Demian Maia, but also suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder, opening the door to a potential interim title fight while he recovered.
On the other side, dos Anjos sought to cap a bounce-back campaign with an exclamation point. Moving up to welterweight after back-to-back losses to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson, dos Anjos found new life at 170 pounds, scoring consecutive wins over Tarec Saffiedine and Neil Magny in the span of three months. A main event win over Lawler would certify him as a true force, one who sought to join the rare group of fighters to snag belts in multiple divisions.
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When they finally squared off in Winnipeg, dos Anjos was a step ahead the whole way. “RDA” used a balanced attack targeting Lawler’s legs and body with kicks and mixing grappling in to stave off the all-action “Ruthless.” In the end, dos Anjos outstruck and outgrappled his foe, earning the clean sweep on all scorecards.
Dos Anjos went on to face Colby Covington for the interim title, losing via decision, while Lawler suffered a torn ACL and was sidelined until 2019.
Josh Emmett Sleeps Ricardo Lamas
Although Josh Emmett was 3-1 ahead of his bout with Ricardo Lamas, he hadn’t really distinguished himself. The bout with Lamas was a step up in competition, and the former featherweight title challenger was riding some momentum after finishing Charles Oliveira and Jason Knight in back-to-back contests.
When the two stepped into the Octagon, Lamas was the favored veteran, but Emmett showed a preview of what would make him a featherweight contender when he connected with a flush left hook that rendered Lamas unconscious in the last minute of the opening round. The knockout was Emmett’s first of his UFC career, but certainly not his last.
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The performance was only marred as Emmett missed the featherweight limit, but the snafu on the scale would end up being Emmett’s lone miss of his UFC tenure.
Santiago Ponzinibbio Outworks Mike Perry, Sets Up UFC Argentina
Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio was riding high going into his bout with “Platinum” Mike Perry. After a 2-2 start in the Octagon, Ponzinibbio collected five wins in a row and became the lone person to finish Gunnar Nelson five months prior.
He represented a step up in competition for Perry, who was 4-1 with four devastating knockouts at the time of their meeting. However, Ponzinibbio would take Perry to the scorecards and get the unanimous nod, stretching his streak to six and leading to a main event opportunity in his home country in 2018.
Bonus-Earning Prelim Efforts Shine
A trio of standout performances accompanied the moving-and-shaking that took place later in the card as Nordine Taleb and Alessio Di Chirico notched Performance Bonuses courtesy of their knockout wins, while Julian Marquez and Darren Steward were awarded Fight of the Night for their bout, which ended with Marquez submitting “The Dentist” via guillotine in his UFC debut.
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!
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