Top 5: UFC Winnipeg ‘Fight of the Night’ candidates

The Phillips-Jourdain showdown sticks out as one of the prime candidates for “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC Fight Night 273. Four more to consider:

Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott

Burns appears to be walking a tightrope at 170 pounds. The Kill Cliff Fight Club mainstay sets out in search of his first victory in more than three years when he takes on Malott in the welterweight headliner. Burns, who turns 40 in July, staggers into the five-round clash on a career-worst four-fight losing streak. He last suited up on May 17, when he yielded to punches from the unbeaten Michael Morales in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 256 encounter. On the other side of the equation, Malott has started to build real momentum in the welterweight division. The 34-year-old Canadian has rattled off three straight wins against Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke and Kevin Holland. Malott arrived in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.

Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert

Nallo, if nothing else, has established himself as a scary proposition for virtually anyone who calls the lightweight midcard home. The Tristar Gym product makes his long-awaited promotional debut opposite Herbert in a three-round showcase at 155 pounds. Nallo, 36, enters the cage riding a wave of five straight wins, all of them finishes inside one round. The Firas Zahabi protege last competed on Week 4 of DWCS in September, when he punched out Samuel Silva just 3:29 into their confrontation. Nallo has held titles in the Samourai MMA and Elite 1 MMA organizations. Hebert, meanwhile, has endured an up-and-down tenure in the UFC thus far. The former Cage Warriors champion has not strapped on the gloves since he dropped a split decision to Chris Padilla at UFC Fight Night 255 on March 22. Herbert has secured nine of his 13 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Marcio Barbosa vs. Dennis Buzukja

Barbosa looks well prepared to introduce himself to a wider audience. The 5-foot-6, 145-pound Brazilian draws his first assignment in the UFC when he toes the line against Buzukja in a three-round featherweight feature. Still just 27 years old, Barbosa has strung together four straight wins and nailed down his spot on the roster with a TKO of Damon Wilson on the Contender Series in August. It was his 16th first-round finish to date. Barbosa operates out of the Giants Team camp in Niteroi, Brazil. On the other side of the ledger, Buzukja has not yet established a foothold at the sport’s highest level. The Syndicate MMA featherweight last appeared at UFC on ESPN 62, where he lost a split decision to Francis Marshall on Aug. 24. Buzukja, 28, was a champion in Ring of Combat and Maverick MMA before he set up shop in the UFC.

Allan Nascimento vs. Mitch Raposo

Nascimento has begun to cultivate a reputation as an action hero at 125 pounds. The 34-year-old Brazilian sizes up his latest hurdle when he meets Raposo in a three-round flyweight prelim. Nascimento steps onto the battlefield with the wind of a four-fight winning streak at his back. He continued his ascent within the division at UFC Fight Night 263, where he rallied to dispatch Cody Durden with an anaconda choke in the second round of their Nov. 1 affair. Nascimento trains out of the same Diego Lima-fronted Chute Boxe affiliate that produced Charles Oliveira. Raposo, meanwhile, remains something of a mystery man. He rebounded from back-to-back defeats to Andre Lima and Su Mudaerji with a three-round unanimous decision over Azat Maksum at UFC 321 on Oct. 25. Raposo, 27, sharpens his skills as part of the New England Cartel in his native Massachusetts.