The UFC returns this upcoming weekend for UFC Fight Night 273 to the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the first time since 2017. The main event clash features a bout between two welterweights at career crossroads, Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott.
Former title challenger Gilbert Burns aims to snap his losing streak against surging Canadian prospect Mike Malott.
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With the home crowd in Malott’s favor, he looks to break his way into the UFC welterweight rankings while Burns fights to prove that he still deserves a spot in the top 15.
Mike MalottJeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC-Getty Images
How to Watch
The entire card streams live on Paramount+ this Saturday, April 18.
Full Fight Card
Main Card (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
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Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott (Welterweight)
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Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain (Bantamweight)
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Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert (Lightweight)
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Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight)
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Thiago Moises vs. Gauge Young (Lightweight)
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Dennis Buzukja vs. Marcio Barbosa (Featherweight)
Preliminary Card (5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT)
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Julien Leblanc vs. Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
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Tanner Boser vs. Gokhan Saricam (Heavyweight)
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Melissa Croden vs. Dariya Zheleznyakova (Women’s Bantamweight)
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JJ Aldrich vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth (Women’s Flyweight)
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John Castaneda vs. Mark Vologdin (Bantamweight)
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Jamie Siraj vs. Johnn Yannis (Bantamweight)
Note: The flyweight bout between Mitch Raposo and Allan Nascimento was moved to a June event due to illness. The news was shared by Nascimento on his Instagram:
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Main Event Breakdown
The primary narrative for this welterweight headliner revolves around the dwindling athleticism of the 39-year-old Gilbert Burns. As a multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, he has historically relied on his explosive, fast-twitch movement and granite durability to close the distance and unleash powerful hooks.
However, turning 40 in July, the physical horsepower that allowed him to hurt Kamaru Usman during a failed title fight has visibly declined, resulting in four consecutive losses to elite competition.
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Gilbert Burns enters the Octagon for a UFC fight.(via Zuffa LLC)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mike Malott is a big, powerful, and athletic fighter whose fighting style is perfectly suited to exploit an aging legend. Malott throws heavy combinations, employing some punishing leg kicks, and uses his strength to secure takedowns both from the outside and in the clinch.
His lone UFC setback came against the relentless veteran Neil Magny, and Malott faded down the stretch, which will be a conditioning question he must face come Saturday.
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Odds and Keys to Victory
According to BetOnline, Malott currently enters as a -270 favorite and odds sit at -130 for a knockout or technical knockout finish. Its apparent that oddsmakers expect the younger, stronger fighter to pressure early, forcing the aging former titleholder to either catch a miracle punch or test the younger Malott with a relentless pace.
For Burns to win, he must drag Malott into the proverbial “deep waters” and test whether the Canadian’s five-round cardio has truly improved. He spoke with MMA Junkie about why he believes experience will actually give him an advantage against Malott:
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Burns admitted, “In the beginning, I was a car crash… and then, as I was fighting all these high-level guys, I was getting so much wisdom. All the training camps, all the studying, all the fighting.”
Seemingly aware of his reckless approach, he stated, “I’ve got to use more of that wisdom instead of being a car crash. It’s going to be a lot more game plan, but the instincts have to be there.”
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
