‘We’re gonna show everyone what’s up’

Nine Canadians are set to compete inside the octagon at UFC Fight Night Winnipeg this Saturday — the most on any card since 2011.

“It just shows how much martial arts is growing within Canada,” said Jasmine Jasudavicius during media day at the Radisson Hotel on Wednesday. The flyweight from St. Catharines, Ont., will face Brazil’s Karine Silva.

“Canada is definitely a hotbed for martial arts right now and I think we’re gonna show everyone what’s up. We’re hungry and we want to prove that we’re the best fighters in the world and we’re able to do it all.”

The current face of Canadian MMA is Mike Malott. The 34-year-old from Burlington, Ont., is in the main event against veteran Brazilian fighter Gilbert Burns.

Malott is no stranger to the city as his younger brother Jeff — a forward with the Los Angeles Kings — started his pro hockey career with the Manitoba Moose and played a game for the Winnipeg Jets in March 2022.

“Winnipeg holds a special place in his heart and my family’s heart,” said Malott, who was in town last month for a promotional tour.

This is the third time the city has hosted the UFC, but first since 2017. Malott is also the first Canadian-born fighter in the main event of one of the promotion’s shows since Montreal’s Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 on June 6, 2020.

He’s 6-1 since Dana White started signing his cheques in 2022.

“The thing I enjoyed the most about Winnipeg was just how excited everyone was that the UFC was coming back. People are truly grateful to have the UFC back in Winnipeg,” said Malott.

“It felt important to them, it felt like people really value this and it just made me so much more excited to head back to Ontario and finish out my camp and come to Winnipeg to perform.”

Burns, a 39-year-old on a four-fight losing skid, likely won’t receive a typical warm Canadian welcome.

“There’s going to be some boos, I’m OK with that,” he said. “But I look forward to stealing the crowd in the end.”

Out of the nine Canadians, Malott is the only one that has been to the Manitoba capital before.

“There’s more potholes than in Montreal. It’s insane,” said bantamweight Charles Jourdain. The Quebecer is in the co-main event against American Kyler Phillips.

“It’s a very different city than what I had in mind, but when it comes to interacting with people, they’re very nice.”

Montreal’s Mandel Nallo is a 36-year-old journeyman who finally got the call to make his UFC debut this weekend. He’ll square off against England’s Jai Herbert in a lightweight bout.

“Winnipeg is an amazing spot to have your debut because of the intimacy of the show. This is a small town, and on Saturday night, everything in this town will be happening around the fight card,” said Nallo.

“Whereas when we fight in New York or Vegas, the vast majority of the city has no idea what you’re doing — you’re just another piece of entertainment in the city.”

Edmonton product Tanner Boser is a heavyweight who was released by the UFC in 2023. It forced him to get a job at a maximum security prison, but eight weeks ago he received an offer to fight Saturday against Turkey’s Gokhan Saricam.

“There’s nine Canadians on the card, which is awesome, but I’m the hometown guy here,” said Boser, who was born in Bonnyville, Alta.

“This is still the West, all right. A lot of guys are from out East. We’re all one here, but I guarantee I’m the guy in Winnipeg.”

The festivities will begin with Vancouver’s Jamie Siraj, another UFC first-timer, kicking off the undercard against American John Yannis in featherweight action.

“I feel that this is a great opporunity for Canadians to remind people who we are,” said Siraj.

“I’m going to set the tone and let people know there’s a new guy in Canada to watch out for.”

Siraj, 31, had a brain infection in 2020 that forced him into a coma. He went septic and almost died in early 2022. He spent over a year in the hospital and wasn’t able to compete from mid-2019 to mid-2023.

He somehow managed to regain his form to go 6-1 on the regional circuit before earning a UFC deal.

“It made me very grateful for every day I get to be alive. MMA is a crazy journey, but there’s no journey like what I went through,” said Siraj.

“There’s nothing in that cage I can see that’s darker than what I went through, so, I feel so prepared to fight at this level.”

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