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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - APRIL 09: Gilbert Burns of Brazil warms up prior to his fight during the UFC 273 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Winnipeg mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., April 18, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. UFC Winnipeg features a welterweight main event between former 170-pound title challenger, Gilbert Burns, and power-punching hometown hero, Mike Malott, a five-round headliner with possible title implications for late 2026 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 135-pound showdown between unranked (but nevertheless dangerous) bantamweight bruisers Charles Jourdain and Kyler Phillips, check out Andrew Richardsonās āX-Factorā breakdown for the rest of the UFC Winnipeg main card by clicking here. Get all the latest āBurns vs. Malottā odds and betting props courtesy of our fiscal friends at FanDuel right here. For UFC Winnipeg live results and play-by-play click here.
UFC Winnipeg is scheduled for April 18, 2026, at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The main event features Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott in a welterweight bout.
The fight between Burns and Malott may have title implications for late 2026 and beyond.
The co-main event includes a bantamweight fight between Charles Jourdain and Kyler Phillips.

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Gilbert āDurinhoā Burns
Record: 22-9 |Ā Age: 39 |Ā Betting line: +280
Wins: 6 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 7 DEC |Ā Losses: 4 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 5 DEC
Height: 5ā10ā |Ā Reach: 71ā |Ā Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.15 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.64 | Striking Defense: 52%
Takedown Average: 2.12 (37% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 53%
Current Ranking: No. 11 |Ā Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Michael Morales
āProperā Mike Malott
Record: 13-2-1 |Ā Age: 34 |Ā Betting line: -355
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 2 DEC |Ā Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 6ā1ā |Ā Reach: 73ā |Ā Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.93 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.06 | Striking Defense: 56%
Takedown Average: 1.88 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 14%
Current Ranking: Unranked |Ā Last fight: Unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland
Fighters are the first ones to know theyāre washed but the last ones to admit it, which is why Gilbert Burns is still hanging on despite getting cooked in four straight fights. The Michael Morales loss was particularly concerning for longtime fans of the Brazilian because it placed āDurinhoā in concussion protocol. Itās also worth mentioning that Burns turns 40 in July and is now ranked outside the Top 10 at 170 pounds. Offensively, the former welterweight title challenger is solid just about everywhere with above-average skills in jiu jitsu. The biggest issue Burns is facing as we head into the second half of 2026 is durability. It doesnāt really matter how hard you hit or the color of your jiu jitsu belt when you crumble at the first sign of adversity. That said, it could just be a matter of a opposition, as the four losses Burns has suffered in recent years all came at the hands of Top 5 competition.
āThe Belal [Muhammad] fight, I got injured,ā Burns told MMA Fighting. āNo problem. I lost, Belal did his thing, became a champion right after that. Lost to Jack [Della Maddalena], was doing good for freaking 14 minutes until I ate a knee, got knocked out. Jack became a champion. Sean Brady, Top 5. Michael Morales, Top 5. These guys are the highest level in the division. So Iāve been doing a lot of good things too, but the results werenāt there.ā
āIām 40 this year,ā Burns added. āI had a good career already. Iām going to Canada. Iām going to have fun. Iām going to go out there to do my thing. For sure, I want to win. For sure itās a must-win but Iām not bringing all that heavy baggage that Iāve got to win. No, Iām going out there to do my best, showcase my skills. I do believe itās a good matchup. Itās nothing easy but it is a good matchup and Iām putting all the pressure on this guy.ā
Canadian fighters are a lot like English fighters in that we usually donāt see them unless the promotion travels internationally. To wit, Mike Malott has not left Canada in his last five UFC fights and has only competed twice per year dating back to early 2022. Originally a product of Dana Whiteās āContender Seriesā in late 2021, Malott has compiled a 6-1 record inside the Octagon with four finishes and a pair of post-fight performance bonuses. āProperā is a solid wrestler with knockout power and has shown dramatic improvement in his conditioning since dumping his tank in a loss to Neil Magny roughly two years back. In that sense, heās a less dynamic Burns, assuming weāre talking about the Burns who nearly toppled Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 and took Khamzat Chimaev to the limit at UFC 273. Sadly, that Burns no longer exists.
āTo be honest, I donāt have really any expectations for him,ā Malott told Uncrowned. āBut I know what I plan on doing. I know what I bring to the table, and Iām a lot more focused on that than I am on him. Just having my coaches and my training partners prepare me as best we possibly can. And I feel like weāve prepared super well for this one. So Iāll just go in there and be free and be myself. When I do that, Iām almost undefeated in the UFC.ā
āThis is something Iāve been dreaming of since as a little kid,ā Malott added. āI mean, even just getting to the UFC in general it feels big. Of course, my own goals and stuff, but I just canāt let it slip by without recognizing fighting in the UFC is something special, and to be the main event in the UFC is something even more special. I just love fighting in Canada. My first two fights in the UFC were awesome. Getting a fight in Jacksonville was sweet. I loved that. And then fighting at the Apex was cool too. That was an awesome opportunity and great to get in there and get a win and cool to have had a UFC fight in the Apex, but nothing beats fighting in Canada for me. I love it.ā
Malott is 34 so itās not like heās some hot young prospect and whatever heās gonna do in terms of making a run at the top, heās got to do it now. His record is impressive but āProperā hasnāt fought anyone currently ranked in the Top 15 while Burns has been out there fighting killers. That experience has come at a price, as I believe āDurinhoā is too shopworn at this stage of his career to carry him across the finish line. Expect a strong start from the Brazilian followed by an unceremonious collapse.
Charles āAirā Jourdain
Record: 17-8-1 |Ā Age: 30 |Ā Betting line: -150
Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 2 DEC |Ā Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5ā9ā |Ā Reach: 69ā |Ā Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.48 | Striking accuracy: 49%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.25 | Striking Defense: 56%
Takedown Average: 0.33 (21% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 47%
Current Ranking: Unranked |Ā Last fight: Submission win over Davey Grant
Kyler āThe Matrixā Phillips
Record: 12-4 |Ā Age: 30 |Ā Betting line: +125
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 5 DEC |Ā Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5ā8ā |Ā Reach: 72ā |Ā Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.04 | Striking accuracy: 42%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.83 | Striking Defense: 60%
Takedown Average: 2.31 (45% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 75%
Current Ranking: Unranked |Ā Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Vinicius Oliveira
Charles Jourdain has been with UFC for seven years and in that time has managed to hover at or around the .500 mark, currently standing at 8-7-1 in 16 trips to the Octagon. The promotion keeps him around because heās Canadian and local talent sell tickets and keep the International business thriving. In addition, Jourdain has captured post-fight performance bonuses in three of his last five contests, so if you have a reputation for exciting fights, youāll never be out of work. Of his 17 victories, only two have gone to the judgesā scorecards and āAirā is riding the momentum of back-to-back submission wins over Victor Henry and Davey Grant. On the downside, Jourdain has never won three straight fights in UFC so statistically speaking, the odds are against him.
āI finished Victor Henry, who had never been finished,ā the former featherweight said at the UFC Winnipeg media day. āDestroyed Davey Grant like nobody has ever done to him. And now destroying Kyler Phillips, whoās never been finished ā Iāll be the first one to put a decisive victory on him. Because you know, winning by decision is something; but me, when you need to expect fire at bantamweight, I truly believe I can finish all these guys.ā
āSometimes fighters have a tendency to reinvent themselves,ā Jourdain added. āIāve done it myself. Reinvent yourself. But if he reinvents himself, heās not going to be peak Kyler. Or if he fights like Kyler fights, weāve prepared a toolbox ready to destroy and counter anything heās bringing. So whatever version Kyler will bring, weāll be able to destroy.ā
Kyler Phillips had a strange start to his UFC career, securing a dominant stoppage on the inaugural season of Dana Whiteās āContender Seriesā in summer 2017 and not winning a UFC contract but instead, a spot on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27. Phillips would lose to Brad Katona in the quarterfinals and have to spend another two years on the regional scene before getting called back up. The result is a 6-3 record, one failed drug test (Ostarine), and a two-fight losing streak heading into UFC Winnipeg. Not surprisingly, āThe Matrixā is unranked at 135 pounds and in a lot of ways, lost in the shuffle. With only one finish in the last five years and a 31st birthday just around the corner, Phillips needs to find second gear and he needs to find it fast.
āIām gonna f*ck this dude up,ā Phillips said during the UFC Winnipeg media day. āHeās a good opponent, but I know his antics, he likes to talk and say things, but Iām going to beat his ass. Itās a sick-ass match-up if you think of it. Dude, this guy, the way he fights is pretty exciting. The way I fight ā like, I aināt trying to convince myself saying things like that. But dude, this is a cool one. The way this guy has come up in the UFC from a young age and the way Iāve come up from a young age, and weāre now in our prime.ā
āTo see that and to see his recent success, and heās come down from 145 and where Iām at ā youāre just going to see me skyrocket. [Rankings] are like statistics, itās just numbers. At the end of the day the cage shuts and Iām going to go in there to fight another dude. So Iām not really too worried about numbers or this and that. Iām just as much wanting to take him out as heās wanting to get that number or whatever heās looking for.ā
Jourdain looks reborn at 135 pounds and was already fast to begin with using a high-volume offense and sneaky guillotine choke to mow down his opponents. The problems Phillips had against Rob Font and Vinicius Oliveira will be present here, as well, and I think āThe Matrixā gets unplugged after a fun, high-octane exchange.
Donāt forget to check out the rest of the UFC Winnipeg main card predictionsĀ RIGHT HERE.