Friday night features a stacked lineup as Jesse Arnett, Menad Abella, and Alyssa Krahn take the stage in Quebec City.
All three athletes hail from Alberta and have secured spots on the TKO 43 undercard, headlining at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, QC.
Bantamweight champion Arnett (14-4) defends his TKO bantamweight belt against rising prospect Sebastian Ruiz (3-0), who boasts a stellar 17-0 mark in muay thai competition.
Ruiz accepted the fight with just a week's warning, filling in after Luis Rafael Laurentino and Nate Maness withdrew from the bout.
"Everything happens for a reason, and I feel like we've landed exactly where we needed to be for this Friday matchup," Arnett told reporters.
"I've sharpened up every aspect of my game. All the work I put into at Bowmont Boxing and with Jake Peacock at Dunamis really paid off on the pads."
Heading into title defense, Arnett arrives hot at 11 fights unbeaten, having bested some of the top bantamweights across North America.
Given Ruiz's muay thai background, Arnett plans to turn the contest into a brawl and add to his already formidable tally of nine submission wins.
"I'm going to break the kid. I'm an adult man, and I'll show him why he's still a boy," Arnett declared.
"I'll prove why I'm on an 11-fight run. I'll lock in the d'arce choke inside two rounds."
Fighter shout-outs: Bowmont Boxing crew, Dunamis squad, Tilt MMA
Abella Steps in on Short Notice
Just like Arnett, Abella (5-0) hopes to walk out of Quebec City with a championship strap around his waist, having taken the fight on short notice against Jonathan Meunier (8-1) for the TKO welterweight title.
Abella, 33, acknowledged that he hasn't been training as intensely as usual during a shortened camp, but he remains confident in his current conditioning.
"I'm confident I'm walking into that cage and winning this fight. It doesn't matter how long I had to train or what my camp looked like," Abella said during an interview.
"I know in my mind, I'm going in there and I'm taking that belt home."
Meunier represents the biggest challenge of Abella's career. His latest win came at UFC Fight Night 101 against Richard Walsh, and his sole defeat came to UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington.
Despite the step-up in competition level and abbreviated preparation time, Abella didn't hesitate to accept the challenge.
"It's an incredible opportunity that I said yes to with my eyes wide open," Abella shared.
"It was an immediate yes. Didn't even blink."
Krahn Ready for Stiff Test
In the women's strawweight division, Krahn (4-1) faces the toughest matchup of her career against Polish striker Sylwia Juśkiewicz (8-5).
Given the style Juśkiewicz brings, Krahn, 30, expects cardio to be a major factor—an area where she feels strong.
#TKO43: Sylwia Juśkiewicz vs Alyssa "Pumpkin Spice" Krahn
Voilà un combat dont nous n'avons pas suffisamment parlé.
La suite ici: https://t.co/1ZiSj8xpMd
TKO 43 le 4 mai au @centrevideotron#MMAQUEBEC @UFCFightPass @fightnet pic.twitter.com/zAgXptGiFf
— Ken Wong (@radioguerriers) May 1, 2018
"She's a very aggressive fighter, so there's going to be a lot of pushing the pace," Krahn noted in an interview.
"Cardio was a big focus to make sure I can maintain good power and speed for 15 minutes without getting too tired."
Krahn has gone the distance in three of her five professional bouts, while Juśkiewicz has done so in six of her 13 contests.
In their weight class, Krahn said decision finishes aren't unusual, and she anticipates another closely contested matchup Friday night.
"I think it's going to be a three-round war," Krahn predicted.
"I think it's going to come down to whoever's more mentally tough in this fight."
