While the evening initially threatened to be a difficult and frustrating night for the partisan Canadian crowds in attendance, it ultimately reached a triumphant crescendo. By the time the final horn sounded, the nation’s premier mixed martial arts athletes had turned the tide, culminating in stellar performances from Mike Malott and Jasmine Jasudavicius, who successfully carried the flag in the main and co-main events respectively.
The event proved to be an absolute thriller for MMA purists and casual fans alike, delivering a staggering rate of finishes. In total, 12 of the 13 bouts on the card ended before the judges were required to intervene, showcasing an aggressive brand of fighting that left the arena buzzing. Among the sea of stoppages, standout displays from fighters like Mike Malott, Cristian Pérez, and Mandel Nallo captured the imagination of the global fanbase and proved that the talent pipeline in the region remains fiercely competitive.
Now that the dust has settled on UFC Edmonton, the focus of the division shifts inevitably toward the future. Matchmakers face the enviable task of capitalizing on the momentum generated by Saturday night’s victors. Looking closely at the landscape of the roster, it is time to examine what could and should be next for the fighters who raised their hands in triumph.
Mike Malott
For welterweight contender Mike Malott, the calendar year has been nothing short of a career resurgence. With two main event appearances under his belt, a pair of highlight-reel finishes, and two coveted Performance of the Night bonuses, 2026 has been very kind to the Canadian star. However, the path to this point was paved with significant adversity.
Fight fans vividly remember the heartbreak of his bout against Neil Magny, where Malott seemingly held complete control of the fight for nearly fifteen minutes, only to completely fall apart and suffer a devastating loss in the final minute of the third round. In the immediate aftermath of that collapse, public sentiment soured, and the fanbase was rightfully critical of his pacing and late-game durability.
Rather than letting the setback define him, Malott recalibrated. He went back to the drawing board, went undefeated in his subsequent outings, and extended his current win streak to five consecutive victories, punctuated by a massive, statement-making finish of Joaquin Buckley.
At 34 years of age, operating within an elite and tightly crammed welterweight title picture, time is of the essence. It is effectively now or never for the Canadian contender to make his definitive push toward championship gold. To capitalize on this momentum, the promotional matchmakers should look to match Malott against a high-ranking, highly recognized, and immediately relevant name. A prime candidate would be former champion Jack Della Maddalena. With Della Maddalena currently searching for an impactful matchup outside the top five rankings, a collision between these two explosive strikers would offer high-stakes excitement and a clear pathway back toward the division’s upper echelon.
Jasmine Jasudavicius
The strawweight and flyweight landscapes can be unforgiving, a reality that Jasmine Jasudavicius knows all too well. When her impressive five-fight win streak was brought to a screeching, brutal halt by the elite Manon Fiorot last October, many analysts believed that, at 36 years old, Jasudavicius’s aspirations of capturing a UFC title had effectively come to an end.
Combat sports, however, are rarely predictable. Fast forward just one year, and the resilient Canadian has completely rewritten her narrative. By stringing together back-to-back victories, capped off by a brilliant and hard-fought upset over the heavily favored Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision, Jasudavicius has firmly reestablished herself as a force to be reckoned with.
With the current divisional queen, Valentina Shevchenko, facing an unclear timeline for her eventual return to the Octagon, and with the promotion actively planning another marquee trip back to Canada in January, the timing could not be more ideal. Given her recent high-profile win and her undeniable toughness, Jasudavicius has arguably emerged as the leading front-runner to welcome Natalia Silva as her first major challenge as a reigning champion, or at least to secure a definitive title eliminator.
Cristian Pérez
The transition from regional circuits to the bright lights of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is notoriously difficult, but Cristian Pérez has wasted zero time making his presence felt. Just two months after earning an official promotional contract with a standout performance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pérez stepped into the Octagon and made remarkably short work of seasoned veteran Kyle Nelson, knocking him out in a blistering 27 seconds.
Pérez’s journey to the big show has had its bumps; notably, he suffered a loss to Manoel Sousa on DWCS just over a year prior to securing his contract. Because of this, questions remain regarding the ultimate ceiling of his potential in the talent-rich lightweight division.
For the time being, however, the organization would be wise to keep the young prospect active against game opposition who can test his evolving skill set. Any durable, well-rounded lightweight will do for his sophomore appearance in the promotion. A pairing with someone like Charlie Campbell would provide the exact kind of competitive litmus test needed to evaluate Pérez’s true standing in the 155-pound weight class.
Marc-André Barriault
Few fighters on the roster entered their respective bouts under as much professional pressure as Marc-André Barriault. The French-Canadian slugger walked into the cage having suffered defeats in five of his previous six outings, leading many within the industry to speculate that he was fighting quite literally for his job security.
What followed was a quintessential Barriault performance. He pulled off a dramatic upset over Kyle Daukaus, earning a finish that completely shifted the narrative surrounding his career trajectory. Instead of discussing whether MAB was on thin ice, the conversation rightly shifted toward his extraordinary penchant for violence and entertainment, highlighted by the fact that he just secured his fourth consecutive post-fight bonus.
Remarkably, that impressive run consists of two Fight of the Night awards sandwiched between two Performance of the Night honors. For an organization driven by fan engagement and ticket sales, a fighter with Barriault’s guaranteed action-first style is an invaluable asset. He has effectively earned a safe, long-term spot on the roster. Because he is willing to stand and trade with anyone, he can be matched against virtually any middleweight in the division and still deliver a memorable war. To keep that momentum rolling, the promotion should consider booking him against Gilbert Urbina, an opponent who was originally scheduled to share the card with him before plans shifted.
Timmy Cuamba
At just 27 years of age, featherweight prospect Timmy Cuamba is still very much in the process of putting the complex pieces of his mixed martial arts game together. His run under the promotional banner has experienced its fair share of fluctuating results, characterized by moments of brilliant potential interspersed with the growing pains typical of a young fighter facing elite competition.
However, his latest performance—a polished and composed second-round finish of fellow prospect Louis Jourdain that left him walking away without a single mark on his face—suggests he may have turned a vital corner. This victory could very well serve as the launching pad for a sustained winning streak.
To continue his development, a matchup against Su Young You makes a tremendous amount of logical sense. You was also victorious against a Canadian prospect on this very same card, making a clash between these two rising talents an intriguing and competitive booking for both men’s trajectories.
Mandel Nallo
Affectionately known to long-time fans by his former moniker, Mandel Nallo has officially broken through to secure his first-rate victory inside the Octagon. Nallo put on a striking clinic, thoroughly battering veteran Nate Landwehr en route to a decisive second-round technical knockout.
Now 37 years of age, Nallo is realistic about his career timeline; he is clearly in the sport to entertain the masses and make every appearance count rather than grinding through a decade-long multi-stage title march. Consequently, the best strategy for utilizing Nallo’s unique skill set is to ensure he is consistently paired with dance partners who are willing to engage in the kind of fan-friendly, high-octane stand-up wars that he thrives in.
Stylistically, few fighters fit that description quite as well as Elves Brener. A clash between Nallo and Brener guarantees fireworks from the opening bell, making it an ideal matchup to feature on the promotion’s upcoming return to Canada in January.
