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.
May has a solid lineup of high-level fights including a trio of UFC matchups and the semi-finals of the XFC tournament that started in late 2020 and Josh Hill looking to stay unbeaten in Bellator.
UFC Fight Night 191 – Las Vegas – May 1
TV: Prelims-TSN5 – 8 p.m. EST/Early Prelims-UFC Fight Pass – 7 p.m. EST
135 lbs – Luana Pinheiro defeats Randa Markos by DQ (Illegal Upkick) in Round 1, 4:16
185 lbs – Andreas Michailidis defeats KB Bhullar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
May's lineup leans on the XFC tournament semi-finals and a Bellator title eliminator — a month where the international circuit carries as much weight as the big leagues. Bhullar's heavyweight title shot alone would make the month matter; the rest of the slate gives it depth.
The tournament format is the thread that runs through the month — the XFC semi-finals put Canadian lightweights and welterweights one win from a bracket final, the kind of stakes a regional career rarely gets.
Bellator 258 – Connecticut- May 7
TV: YouTube – 6 p.m. EST
135 lbs – Raufeon Stots defeats Josh Hill by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Hill's shutout loss to Stots was the month's Bellator result for Canada — a 30-27 sweep on the cards against a wrestler on a title run is the kind of defeat that stings without embarrassing.
ONE Championship – Singapore – May 15
TV: YouTube
265 lbs – Arjan Bhullar defeats Brandon Vera by TKO (Punches) in Round 2, 4:27
***Bhullar wins Heavyweight Title
143.5 lbs – Gurdarshan Mangat defeats Roshan Mainam by Unanimous Decision
Bhullar's second-round TKO of Vera for the ONE heavyweight title was the month's biggest Canadian win — a UFC veteran winning a world championship outside the UFC is the exact result the column exists to cover.
Stopping a champion by strikes in the second round is the cleanest possible way to take a belt — the finish answered every question about whether Bhullar's wrestling base could carry him at heavyweight's top level.
The belt made him the first Canadian to hold ONE gold.B2 Fighting Series – Kansas – May 15
TV:
125 lbs – James Clarke defeats Nate Williams by Unanimous Decision
***Flyweight Title Fight (Vacant)
Clarke's decision win for the vacant flyweight title gave the month a second Canadian belt — regional championships on B2's Kansas cards are the kind of credential a 125-pounder builds a career around.
Flyweight titles at this level are also the fast track to the UFC's radar — the division's shallow enough that a belt plus a finish-heavy record gets a fighter looked at quickly.
UFC Fight Night – Las Vegas – May 22
TV: TSN2 – 7 p.m. EST
145 lbs – Felicia Spencer (8-2) vs. Norma Dumont (5-1)
Spencer's matchup with Dumont was the month's UFC booking for Canada — a featherweight main card spot against an unbeaten contender, and the kind of fight that decides a roster trajectory.
A win keeps a veteran's UFC run alive; a loss on a card like this is the kind of result that reshuffles the pecking order overnight.
XFC 44 – Iowa – May 28
TV:
155 lbs – Tom O’Connor (9-1) vs. Damonte Robinson (6-1-1)
170 lbs – Ryan Dickson (11-5) vs. Bobby Nash (10-4)
O'Connor and Dickson's bookings on the XFC semi-finals card were the month's tournament-thread results — the promotion's bracket format made every fight load-bearing, and two Canadians still alive in it meant the card carried real stakes.
Tournament formats reward consistency more than highlight reels — surviving a bracket run is its own credential, one that shows up on every scouting report.
Levels Fight League 1 – Amsterdam – May 30
TV:
135 lbs – Louie Sanoudakis (8-2) vs. Beno Adamia (6-8-1)
Sanoudakis's bout in Amsterdam was the month's most far-flung booking — Levels Fight League's debut card gave a Canadian bantamweight an international platform against a durable European opponent.
Cards like this are also where Canadian fighters build the kind of varied tape that holds up — different rules sets, different crowds, different styles.
