“The Belal [Muhammad] fight, I got injured,” Burns told MMA Fighting. “No 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 I’ve been doing a lot of good things too, but the results weren’t there.” “I’m 40 this year,” Burns added. “I had a good career already. I’m going to Canada. I’m going to have fun. I’m going to go out there to do my thing. For sure, I want to win. For sure it’s a must-win but I’m not bringing all that heavy baggage that I’ve got to win. No, I’m going out there to do my best, showcase my skills. I do believe it’s a good matchup. It’s nothing easy but it is a good matchup and I’m putting all the pressure on this guy.”

Canadian fighters are a lot like English fighters in that we usually don’t 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 White’s “Contender Series” in late 2021, Malott has compiled a 6-1 record inside the Octagon with four finishes and a pair of post-fight performance bonuses. “Proper” 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, he’s a less dynamic Burns, assuming we’re 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.

“To be honest, I don’t have really any expectations for him,” Malott told Uncrowned. “But I know what I plan on doing. I know what I bring to the table, and I’m 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 we’ve prepared super well for this one. So I’ll just go in there and be free and be myself. When I do that, I’m almost undefeated in the UFC.” “This is something I’ve been dreaming of since as a little kid,” Malott added. “I mean, even just getting to the UFC in general it feels big. Of course, my own goals and stuff, but I just can’t 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.”

Malott is 34 so it’s not like he’s some hot young prospect and whatever he’s gonna do in terms of making a run at the top, he’s got to do it now. His record is impressive but “Proper” hasn’t 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 “Durinho” 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 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 he’s Canadian and local talent sell tickets and keep the International business thriving.