Mike Malott (14-2-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) became part of an exclusive club over the weekend. Ahead of Saturday night’s UFC Winnipeg inside Canada Life Centre, there had only been two Canadian contestants to have headlined a UFC event in their home country. By night’s end, Malott would become the third Canadian to main event a UFC show in Canada.

Malott’s adversary, Gilbert Burns (22-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC) was heading into hostile territory for the UFC Winnipeg main event with the partisan crowd firmly against him. If Mike Malott was to give his countrymen a bout they’d never forget, he’d need to bring out the fireworks.

Although the UFC Winnipeg main event was slated for an advertised five rounds at five minutes per round to close the evening’s activities in Manitoba, Malott needed less than two and a half rounds to complete his assignment in satisfactory fashion. Midway through the third round of action, he uncorked a vicious right hook, peppering Gilbert Burns with ground and pound. Referee Herb Dean waved off the contest shortly thereafter.

Swan Song for Mike Malott’s Opponent, Gilbert Burns

After the official decision was announced by Joe Martinez inside the fabled Octagon, Gilbert Burns used his post-fight interview with Paul Felder to inform those watching in the arena and on Paramount Plus that Saturday’s contest was to be his last as a professional MMA fighter, exiting the sport on a five-fight losing streak. Before officially revealing his retirement, he acknowledged the hardships of this past training camp.

“I put in a great camp,” Burns said. “I sacrificed so much. My coach [knows] I left no stone unturned. Harry [Hooft] knows, Daniel knows, all my guys at Kill Cliff [FC,] I worked very hard but I couldn’t show it. Shout out to Mike Malott and his team. You guys did a great job.”

“I think that’s it,” he continued. “I think I had a great career. I fought so hard. I want to win so bad, but, yeah, I think that’s it.” Burns’ retirement announcement was met with applause from the audience and Paul Felder.

Mike Malott on Emotional Reaction to Victory in UFC Winnipeg

In the aftermath of Malott’s knockout win on Saturday night, he was overcome with joy. Upon taking the podium backstage for the post-fight press conference, he discussed why he reacted the way he did.

“I pour so much of myself into the preparation in this sport and it’s been a long journey for me,” he said. “It feels great getting that release after fighting a tough guy. Yeah, just time to let it all out after a fight and feel all the feelings.”

By the time the show wrapped up, 14,051 spectators paid to see UFC Winnipeg on Saturday night. Mike Malott talked about what it was like to have a partisan audience urging him on in the main event over the weekend.

“I’ve been so blessed fighting in the UFC in general, but especially in Canada,” he said, “the fans always show up for me and let me know that they enjoy what I do. These moments will be cherished by me for the rest of my life. I’m going to look back as an old man one day with a lot of really cool memories.”

Final Thoughts on Gilbert Burns’ Retirement and Mike Malott’s Victory

Simply put, Saturday night’s UFC Winnipeg main event was a changing of the guard in the welterweight ranks, one that the entire world was witness to. On one side of the pairing, you had Gilbert Burns, a man who was seriously contemplating retirement after a fight at the Meta Apex resulted in a concussion last May.

Whether fans know the retirement of a fighter is coming or not, it’s always an emotional moment to see a veteran contender take off the gloves and leave them in the middle of the Octagon at the end of a fight. Burns knew his time in the UFC was short and he wrapped up his career in defeat, though he fought valiantly over the weekend.

In regard to the victorious Mike Malott, this fight was a resume-building contest on Saturday. He’s now won four bouts consecutively and with this latest victory coming against a ranked adversary, he himself could find his name in the rankings at 170 very shortly.