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.
July will be a little lighter of a month for Canadian fighters but that’s usually the case for the summer months. There’s still a handful of intriguing bouts on the docket.
LFA 110 – Oklahoma – July 2
TV: UFC Fight Pass
115lbs- Jaqueline Amorim defeats Megan Owen by KO (Punches) in Round 1, 0:10
Even in a light month the results still come fast — Amorim's ten-second KO of Owen is the kind of blink-and-you-miss-it finish that makes a regional card worth the tape. Summer slates being thin is normal; what matters is whether the wins that do land are meaningful, and a sub-minute finish on UFC Fight Pass qualifies.
Trophee des Etoiles – France – July 2
TV:
145lbs- Samuel Giguere (0-3) vs. Islam Taisumov (2-0) *Cancelled*
Giguere's cancelled booking in France was the month's first disappointment — European cards have been a sporadic but real outlet for Quebec fighters, and losing a spot there means another stretch without cage time.
CFFC 98 – Philadelphia – July 3
TV:
170 lbs- Yohan Lainesse defeats Evan Cutts by TKO (Punches to Body) in Round 2, 2:17
***Lainesse captures Welterweight Title
Lainesse's second-round TKO to take the CFFC welterweight title was the month's biggest Canadian regional win — a belt on Cage Fury's Philadelphia stage is one of the more legitimate credentials a welterweight prospect can carry, and finishing the fight rather than coasting to it made it louder.
Hexagone MMA 1 – France – July 9
TV:
155 lbs- Alex Morgan defeats Baba Boundjou Nadjombe by unanimous decision.
Morgan's decision win in France continued the month's transatlantic thread — Hexagone was one of the newer promotions on the French circuit at the time, and Canadian lightweights picking up wins there is a quiet pipeline worth watching.
Valor: Underground – Tennessee – July 10
TV:
135 lbs- Vinny Dias defeats Jamal Davis by submission (arm triangle) in the first round.
Dias's first-round arm-triangle in Tennessee was the month's cleanest Canadian submission — a finish inside the opening five minutes on a small regional card is exactly the kind of result that keeps a bantamweight moving upward.
UFC Fight Night 192 – Las Vegas – July 17
TV: TSN
125lbs- Malcolm Gordon defeats Francisco Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Gordon's decision over Figueiredo was the month's lone UFC result for Canada — a competitive flyweight bout that went the distance, and for a fighter who's spent most of his career on the roster bubble, every scorecard win matters.
FightWorld 18 – Pennsylvania – July 17
TV:
Amateur 145 lbs- Nayimi Ferdaws (1-0) vs. Clinton Ewing (1-1)
Ferdaws's amateur booking in Pennsylvania kept his record moving on the FightWorld platform — Eastern U.S. regional cards have been a dependable second home for Canadian amateurs working their way up.
B2 Fighting Series 127 – Kentucky – July 23
TV:
155lbs- Adam Assenza defeats Chance Beck by TKO in the fifth round.
***Lightweight Title Fight
Assenza's fifth-round TKO for the B2 lightweight title was the month's longest and most dramatic Canadian win — going into the championship rounds and still finding the finish is the kind of result that says more about a fighter than any early stoppage.
UFC on ESPN 27 – Las Vegas – July 24
TV: UFC Fight Pass
115 lbs- Diana Belbita defeats Hannah Goldy by unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Belbita's sweep of Goldy gave Canada a second UFC result in July — a clean 30-27 across the board is about as convincing as a decision win gets, and it kept the strawweight veteran's run going on a big stage.
Ground Force Fights 6 – New York – July 24
TV:
Amateur 145 lbs- Chris Henhawk defeats Dave Stekla by majority decision.
Henhawk's majority-decision win was the night's amateur opener — small New York cards like Ground Force have been a steady landing spot for Canadian amateurs building records on U.S. soil.
Ground Force Fights 6 – New York – July 24
TV:
135lbs- Liam Gallagher (5-0) vs. Noah Hughes (8-8)
***Amateur Bantamweight Title Fight (Vacant)
Gallagher's vacant bantamweight title bout on the same card gave the night a second Canadian storyline — regional title fights, even at the amateur level, are the kind of results that start separating prospects from the pack.
B2 Fighting Series 129 – Iowa – July 30
TV:
Amateur 135 lbs- Kelvin Krause (3-4) vs. Emmanuel Colon (4-4)
Krause's amateur bout in Iowa closed the month's B2 ledger — the promotion's Midwest cards have been a consistent outlet for Canadian regional fighters all year.
XMMA 2 – Greenville, S.C. – July 30
TV: PPV
135 lbs- Louie Sanoudakis (8-2) vs. Cody Gibson (16-7)
Sanoudakis's matchup with Gibson was the month's most interesting regional pairing — a Canadian prospect against a durable UFC veteran is exactly the kind of test that tells you where a fighter actually is.
MFL 19
MFL's July card rounds out the month's slate — check the linked fight card page for the full listings as they're confirmed.
