UFC Edmonton fight card fills out with Mike Malott, Pedro Munhoz among new additions
The UFC is set for its second show in Canada in 2024 – and only its third since the COVID-19 outbreak.
A UFC Fight Night event is set for Nov. 2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, with a women's flyweight contender main event between Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas. The co-main event features fan-favorite Derrick Lewis against rising kickboxer-turned-MMA fighter Jhonata Diniz.
While many of the fights were announced during the event's initial official announcement (and near-immediate co-main event switch-up), a handful of others have been scheduled in the past few days. Check out which fights have been scheduled below.
Pedro Munhoz vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Veteran bantamweights [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] and [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag] will face off in an undercard bout.
Munhoz (20-9 MMA, 10-9 UFC) is one of the division's most seasoned competitors. He enters this bout in need of a win, however, having gone 1-4 with one no contest in his most recent five outings. The results may not tell the whole story, however. Munhoz has consistently competed against the best of the best, with losses in that stretch coming against Sean O'Malley, Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, and Kyler Phillips.
Zahabi (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) hasn't been the most active in recent years, though the results have piled up positively in his favor. Since 2021, he's competed four times – and won as many. His streak includes Drako Rodriguez, Ricky Turcios, Aori Qileng, and most recently, Javid Basharat in March.
Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles
Things didn't end well for [autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag] when he competed in his home country in January, but now he has a second chance to send the Canadian crowd home happy. At UFC 297, Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was on his way to a dominant decision until Neil Magny flipped the script and defeated him with a late ground-and-pound TKO. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak.
Not one to shy away from a tough test, Trevin Giles needs a win off back-to-back losses. The Texas police officer's resume continues to age well, though. His only defeats since 2020 have come against current champion Dricus Du Plessis and rising stars Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and Gabriel Bonfim.
This fight was first reported by MMA Fighting.
Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Canada resident [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag] will compete for the first time in his home country since signing with the UFC in 2023. Machado (8-3-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was the Battlefield Fight League heavyweight champion prior to a Dana White's Contender Series opportunity in August 2023, during which he defeated Kevin Szaflarski by unanimous decision. Machado still seeks his first UFC win after consecutive losses to Mick Parkin and Don'Tale Mayes.
[autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag] made quite the splash on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023 when he upset then-LFA champ Bruno Lopes with a devastating first-round knockout. In the UFC, Ribeiro (15-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has struggled, however. After a pulverizing knockout loss to Mingyang Zhang in his promotional debut, Ribeiro lost a majority decision to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov in June.
This fight was first reported by Super Lutas.
Garrett Armfield vs. Serhiy Sidey
Rising bantamweights [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and [autotag]Serhiy Sidey[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) both seek a return into the win column after losses earlier this year.
Armfield, 27, debuted in July 2022 when he was put to sleep by a David Onama submission. After back-to-back victories over Toshiomi Kazama and Brad Katona, Armfield was submitted in come-from-behind fashion by Brady Hiestand in June.
Canada's Sidey, 28, made his UFC debut in Toronto in January, when he lost a highly-entertaining split decision to Ramon Tavares. The decision snapped Sidey's six-fight winning streak and was debated by fans.
Current UFC Edmonton fight card
Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas
Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz
Pedro Munhoz vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Ariane da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
Trevin Giles vs. Mike Malott
Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Alexandr Romanov
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic
Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson
Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Garrett Armfield vs. Serhiy Sidey
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Edmonton.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Edmonton fight card fills out with Mike Malott, Pedro Munhoz among new additions