Skip to main content
MMA Knockout

UFC Winnipeg Adds New Fight as MMA Veteran Accepts Short-Notice UFC Debut

This fighter will be one of a number of Canadians competing at UFC Winnipeg.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Next Saturday’s UFC Winnipeg card will see a Canadian MMA veteran step into the cage for a short-notice Octagon debut.

After returning home to Las Vegas last weekend for a UFC Fight Night event that saw Renato Moicano submit Chris Duncan in the night’s main event, the UFC is on the road in Miami this week for UFC 327 before the promotion heads north of the border next weekend for UFC Winnipeg.

The card will see Canadian star Mike Malott try to take a major step towards welterweight title contention when he meets Gilbert Burns in the night’s headlining bout, and Marcel Dorff reports that Jamie Siraj will also enter the cage in his home country for a debut matchup with John Yannis.

Jamie Siraj Returns To Bantamweight For Short-Notice UFC Debut

Already a veteran of 17 pro MMA fights following a seven-fight amateur run, Siraj boasts 11 finishes out of the 14 wins he’s collected since turning pro in 2014.

After securing a pair of first-round finishes to kick off his pro career, Siraj suffered his first loss to Nick Ghaeni but avenged that result in 2016 when he submitted Ghaeni to claim the Battlefield Fight League bantamweight belt. Following a loss to future UFC fighter Cole Smith, “The Gremlin” put together a nine-fight win streak that saw him win titles with both Canada’s Unified MMA and Las Vegas-based promotion Tuff-N-Uff.

UFC veteran Diego Brandao took Siraj’s Tuff-N-Uff featherweight title just over a year ago before the Canadian returned to BFL, where he submitted Gustavo Erak to win the promotion’s 150-pound catchweight belt.

John Yannis Looks To Rebound In Second UFC Appearance

Siraj already opened his year with another submission against Donny Matos at BFL 86 in February, and his promotional debut at UFC Winnipeg will see the Canadian welcome Yannis back to action for the first time since August.

Yannis went 7-3 as an amateur fighter before turning pro in 2021. While his first two victories both came via knockout, his pro career got off to an inauspicious 2-2 start when he also suffered split decision losses to Eddie Torres and current UFC fighter Cameron Smotherman.

John Yannis was submitted by Austin Bashi in his UFC debut.
John Yannis was submitted by Austin Bashi in his UFC debut. | (Zuffa LLC)

A four-fight win streak was halted by Gabriel Wanderley before Yannis stopped three-straight opponents and claimed the Fury FC bantamweight belt before accepting a short-notice UFC opportunity last August against Austin Bashi, who submitted “The Juice” in the first round.

Siraj’s promotional debut against Yannis will be contested in the bantamweight division, and the addition of that matchup means that UFC Winnipeg now features a total of 13 fights.

UFC Winnipeg Fight Card

Main Event: Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott

Co-Main Event: Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva

Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert

Thiago Moises vs. Gauge Young

Dennis Buzukja vs. Marcio Barbosa

John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin

Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento

Melissa Croden vs. Darya Zheleznyakova

Robert Valentin vs. Julien Leblanc

Tanner Boser vs. Gokhan Saricam

JJ Aldrich vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth

Jamie Siraj vs. John Yannis

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

Home/News