He received a standing ovation while making the walk for his first UFC main event, and Canadian Mike Malott didn’t let his countrymen down in the promotion’s first visit to Winnipeg in nearly nine years.
With an impressive show of composed striking, Malott (14-2-1) scored a blistering third-round technical knockout of veteran Gilbert Burns (22-10) on Saturday at UFC Winnipeg, dropping the Brazilian with a big right hand and finishing the job with a flurry of strikes on the ground. With the victory, the 34-year-old Malott declared himself a contender in the stacked welterweight division, guaranteeing himself a spot in the top 15 when the next UFC rankings come out.
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Yet rather than shine a light on himself in his post-fight interview, Malott instead went the classy route of paying his respects to the former contender Burns, who took off the gloves at fight’s end and called it a career.
“I’m on top of the world right now,” Malott said. “Guys, first things first, let’s give it up to one of the legends of the sport. Inside the cage, outside the cage, this man’s a gentleman and a true warrior. Gilbert Burns, I’ve been a fan of yours for years. The utmost respect to this man, so please give a true Canadian welcome to a true MMA legend.”
In his first five-round fight, Malott was poised in the early exchanges, using an uppercut and crisp combos to do damage to the 39-year-old Burns. He also effectively shut down takedown attempts from Burns, never allowing Burns to get comfortable in the fight.
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In the third round, Malott broke through. A clean left hand dropped Burns to the canvas, setting up the finishing sequence moments later. The victory was Malott’s fourth in a row and his seventh in eight UFC fights.
Mike Malott lands a big left hand against Gilbert Burns at UFC Winnipeg at Canada Life Centre on April 18, 2026.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
“I thought there could be some success with the uppercut,” he told commentator Paul Felder. “Something I always say is, I like to prepare, not predict. You never know what he’s going to do when we get in here, but we sharpen every weapon, and when we get in here we figure out which ones are necessary.”
When given the chance to call out a fighter he hoped to see next, Malott deferred.
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“I’m not the kind of guy to call people out,” he said. “You know me, man, I try to do it the proper way. Just trying to get better every time, pursue growth and greatness, and I feel like I did a pretty good job of that tonight.”
With the loss, Burns ends his UFC career on a five-fight skid. A 25-fight UFC veteran who debuted in 2014, Burns faced the who’s who of contenders and champions throughout his career, culminating with a failed title shot against Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in 2021.
Though he came up short, he was a perennial top-10 staple in the division for many years and was ranked No. 11 coming into his final fight.
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As chants of “Gilbert” rained down from the respectful Winnipeg crowd, Burns got emotional on the microphone afterward.
“I worked so hard, I worked very hard for this fight,” he said. “I know Mike is going to fight at home, he’s going to bring everything. I put in a great camp, I sacrificed so much.”
Ever graceful in defeat, Burns said he’d look back on his career with a certain amount of pride.
“I think I had a great career,” he said. “I wanted to win so bad. I think that’s it. I fought the best guys in the world, No. 1 pound-for-pound, a lot of guys, former champions. I never said no to a fight. I think that’s it.
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“But I’m content. I always tried to challenge myself, and I never say no to a fight, I fought everybody.”
In the co-main event, bantamweight Charles Jourdain (18-8-1) made it three wins in a row with a spirited, often chaotic effort against Kyler Phillips (12-5). Despite having to overcome an early deficit, Jourdain brought the crowd to life in the second and third rounds using an array of flying knees and kicks.
With the victory, Jourdain has now won three straight UFC fights, while Phillips dropped his third bout in a row.
Check out complete UFC Winnipeg results and highlights below.
Main card
Welterweight: Mike Malott def. Gilbert Burns via TKO (punches) at 2:08 of R3 | Watch finish
Bantamweight: Charles Jourdain def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Jai Herbert def. Mandel Nallo via TKO (punches) at 2:05 of R1 | Watch finish
Women’s flyweight: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Karina Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Gauge Young def. Thiago Moises via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Prelims
Featherweight: Marcio Barbosa def. Dennis Buzukja via KO (punch) at 1:22 of R1 | Watch finish
Middleweight: Robert Valentin def. Julien Lelanc via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:22 of R1 | Watch finish
Heavyweight: Gokhan Saricam def. Tanner Boser via TKO (punches) at 4:43 of R2 (punches) | Watch finish
Women’s bantamweight: Melissa Croden def. Darya Zheleznyakova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s flyweight: JJ Aldrich def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
139-pound catchweight: John Castenada and Mark Vologdin fight to a draw (majority) (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Bantamweight: John Yaniis def Jaimie Siraj via TKO (elbows) at 2:43 of R1 | Watch finish
