Every month, MMA Empire will bring you a comprehensive list of any and all Canadian fighters who will be competing in MMA events outside Canada. Check back every week to keep up to date with all the results.
February is shaping up to be an absolutely massive month for Canadian fighters in the major promotions. We’ve got a whopping ten fighters competing on the world stage this month and over a dozen in total.
Ten fighters on the world stage in a single month is a number worth sitting with — a few years ago a month like this would have been the year's highlight reel, and now it's just February. The regional layer underneath adds another dozen-odd results on top, which is exactly what a healthy pipeline looks like.
UFC Fight Night 200 – Las Vegas – Feb. 5
TV: TSN
145 lbs – Hakeem Dawodu defeats Michael Trizano by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
185 lbs – Chidi Njokuani defeats Marc-Andre Barriault by KO (Punches) in Round 1, 0:15
135 lbs – Alexis Davis defeats Julija Stoliarenko by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27)
125 lbs – Malcolm Gordon defeats Denys Bodnar by TKO (Arm Injury) in Round 1, 1:22
Dawodu's shutout of Trizano was a veteran doing veteran things — clean rounds, clean scorecards, and back on track. Barriault's 15-second KO loss was the flip side of that coin, a reminder of how fast a night can end at middleweight, while Davis's return to the win column and Gordon's first-round TKO still made it a mostly productive Canadian evening on the undercard.
Combat at the Space – New York – Feb. 5
TV:
265 lbs – Mike Curiel defeats Wuillmer Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) *Amateur
Curiel's decision win on the amateur heavyweight side was the month's smallest-profile result — but heavyweight is the division where Canadian depth needs the most building, and every regional round helps.
ONE Championship – Singapore – Feb. 11
TV:
145 lbs – (C)Bibiano Fernandes (24-4) vs. John Lineker (34-9) *Canceled*
***Featherweight Title Fight
265 lbs – Dustin Joynson defeats Hugo Cunha by Split Decision
The Fernandes-Lineker cancellation took the month's biggest international title fight off the board — a real loss for fight fans given the stakes — but Joynson's split-decision win over Cunha gave Canada a result on the same card anyway.
Showtime FC 1 – Florida – February 11
TV:
155 lbs – Ramil Kamilov submits Turner Williams by Arm-Triangle Choke in Round 1
Kamilov's first-round arm-triangle was the month's fastest Canadian submission — a one-round finish on a Florida regional card is exactly the kind of efficiency that keeps a fighter's phone ringing.
XOC 3 – Spain – February 12
TV:
155 lbs – Claire Dubois (1-1) vs. Maria Santos (1-1) *Canceled*
Dubois's bout cancellation in Spain was a quiet disappointment — the European circuit had been a useful second front for Canadian fighters looking for cage time.
Ring of Combat 75 – Atlantic City – Feb. 18
TV:
145 lbs – Nate Small (1-1) vs. John Caldone (1-0)
Small's matchup with Caldone was the month's Atlantic City entry — ROC has been one of the most reliable feeders on the East Coast regional circuit for decades, and bantamweight fights there get watched.
UFC Fight Night 201 – Las Vegas – Feb. 19
TV: TSN
125 lbs – Chad Anheliger (11-5) vs. Jesse Strader (5-2)
115 lbs – Diana Belbita (14-6) vs. Gloria De Paula (5-4)
Anheliger's bout with Strader and Belbita's pairing with De Paula gave the card two Canadian threads — a bantamweight prospect getting his shot and a veteran strawweight in a winnable fight are exactly the kinds of spots Canadian fighters need to keep converting.
Bellator 274 – Connecticut – Feb. 19
TV: YouTube
155 lbs – Mandel Nallo (8-1) vs. Nick Browne (12-1)
Nallo's lightweight matchup with Browne was the month's Bellator headliner for Canada — the flashy finisher against an unbeaten opponent is the sort of test that separates prospect from contender.
Cupids Knockouts 2022 – West Virginia – Feb. 19
TV:
145 lbs – Nayimi Ferdaws (3-0) vs. Tijuan McCray-Turner (3-1) *Amateur
Ferdaws's amateur booking in West Virginia was another entry in a month where the country's developing talent stayed busy across the U.S. regional map.
LFA 125 – Niagara Falls – Feb. 25
TV: UFC Fight Pass
115 lbs – Ashley Nichols (3-3) vs. Hilarie Rose (5-3)
125 lbs – Alex Moher (2-1) vs. Anthony Pilot (0-1) *Amateur
155 lbs – Brett Ozinga (1-0) vs. Austin Ross (1-0) *Amateur
LFA's February stop in Niagara Falls was the closest thing to a home card all month — Nichols headlining against Rose and a pair of amateur bouts underneath made it a genuine Canadian-content night on UFC Fight Pass.
UFC Fight Night 202 – Las Vegas – Feb. 26
TV: TSN
185 lbs – Misha Cirkunov (15-7) vs. Makhmud Muradov (25-7)
Cirkunov's matchup with Muradov closed the month on a veteran's note — a middleweight who's been through every version of the UFC's middle of the roster getting another tough stylistic test.
