UFC Canada has confirmed that Mike Malott will headline UFC Winnipeg on April 18, 2026, when he takes on Brazilian veteran Gilbert Burns in a five-round welterweight main event at the Canada Life Centre. The event, originally scheduled for Ottawa, has been moved to Winnipeg and marks the UFC’s first return to the Manitoba capital since December 2017.
Mike Malott will headline UFC Winnipeg vs. Gilbert Burns in April’s Main Event
Mike Malott, a 34-year-old Canadian from Burlington, Ontario, will be the first Canadian in almost six years to headline a UFC card. He has a professional record of 13-2 and is currently riding a three-fight win streak, having last defeated Kevin Holland by unanimous decision in October 2025. The UFC’s official profile states that he has stopped nine opponents in the first round, with four finishes by knockout and six by submission in his 15-fight professional career.
Opposite him is Gilbert Burns, a 39-year-old Brazilian and former title challenger, now 22–9. Burns last won a decision over Jorge Masvidal in 2023 and has since dropped four straight bouts, including losses to former champions Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, plus title contenders Sean Brady and Michael Morales. He is being mentioned as a veteran looking to re-establish his position in the 170-pound division, and this bout is expected to be his first UFC appearance of 2026.
This will be the third UFC event in Winnipeg, following UFC 161 in 2013 and December 2017’s Fight Night headlined by Rafael dos Anjos and Robbie Lawler. The 2026 show is listed as UFC Fight Night 273, with Canada Life Centre, formerly Bell MTS Place, as the venue. Early reports indicate that a handful of fights are tentatively attached to the card, including Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva, John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin, Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento and Dong Hun Choi vs. Andre Lima, although the UFC has not yet finalized the full lineup.
For Malott, the assignment is a clear step up in responsibility. In a tweet after the announcement, he said: “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my entire career. Headlining in Canada, for our people, is everything I’ve worked for.” Those closest to him have described a training camp focused less on spectacle and more on bridging the gap between a regional-level finisher and a UFC-caliber main-event fighter.
Burns described the fight as a reset in his own comments via team release channels. “I know what I’m up against,” he said. “He’s young, he’s hungry and he’s in his homeland. But I’ve been left out before and I’m still here. This is another chance to prove that I belong at the top.” The implication is clear: for Malott, it’s about cementing stardom; for Burns, it’s about re-entering the fray.
April 18 in Winnipeg marks one of the more meaningful Fight Night cards of the 2026 schedule.
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