It has been a disappointing year for Canadian mixed martial arts fans to say the least. From a lacklustre UFC 174 pay-per-view event in Vancouver, to cards in Toronto and Montreal being scratched from the 2014 schedule, it has been rough.
However, that won’t be the case for Canadian fans in Nova Scotia as they play host a UFC event in Halifax for the first time. In addition to Canadian Rory MacDonald headlining the first event of his career, UFC Fight Night Halifax features a total of nine Canadians looking to move up the ranks in their respective divisions.
Here’s your Canadian Watch List for Saturday’s event.
Rory MacDonald (Quesnel, B.C.) vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Four months after emerging victorious in his home province at UFC 174, the 25-year-old MacDonald returns to the Octagon to battle former Strikeforce champion Saffiedine. The Tristar fighter comes into this bout off back-to-back victories over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley. Should MacDonald–who has won seven of his past eight bouts–earn an impressive victory over Saffiedine he’d likely get the winner of UFC 181’s Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler and earn the next shot at the welterweight title.
Chad Laprise (London, Ont.) vs. Yosdenis Cedeno
TUF Nations welterweight tournament winner Laprise drops down to the lightweight division to square off with Cuban fighter Cedeno. The Adrenaline MMA pupil Laprise (8-0) defeated Chris Indich, Kajan Johnson and Oliver Aubin-Mercier to win TUF Nations this past April. Cendeno bounced back from a loss in his UFC debut to stop Jerrod Sanders at UFC Fight Night 45 this past July. Expect both of these fighters to engage in a standup affair as they have a combined 11-career knockouts between the two of them. A win for the undefeated Laprise could potentially earn him a Top 15 opponent in his next outing.
Elias Theodorou (Mississauga, Ont.) vs. Bruno Santos
A middleweight tilt pits TUF Nations 185-pound winner Theodorou against Blackhouse product Santos. The undefeated Canadian (9-0) finished his third straight fight when he TKO’d Sheldon Westcott at the TUF Nations Finale in April. Meanwhile, Santos (14-1) recently rebounded from a loss to Krzysztof Jotko in his UFC debut by winning a split decision over Chris Camozzi at UFC 175. At 26 years of age, Theodoru has all the makings of a potential Canadian superstar. Earning a victory over a fellow up-and-comer like Santos would certainly put the Greater Toronto Area native on the map.
Mitch Gagnon (Sudbury, Ont.) vs. Roman Salazar
A winner of three straight UFC bouts, 29-year-old Gagnon returns to the cage to take on late replacement Salazar. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt Gagnon (11-2) is facing his third scheduled opponent as Aljamain Sterling and Rob Font both had to bow out due to injury. Salazar heads into this fight on a four-fight win streak and his most notable fight was a loss to current UFC bantamweight Anthony Bircahck in 2012. If Gagnon can emerge victorious against the UFC newcomer, a Top 10 opponent should be in the cards for his next bout.
Nordine Taleb (Montreal, Que.) vs. Li Jingliang
Emerging victorious in his UFC debut this past April, welterweight Taleb looks to ride his winning momentum against China Top Team product Jingliang. Prior to his victory, Taleb (11-2) had two failed stints on The Ultimate Fighter in the span of a year, but came through at the TUF Nations Finale. Like Taleb, 26-year-old Jingliang also had a successful UFC debut as he won a split decision over previously undefeated David Michaud at UFC 173. It’s no secret Taleb will want to keep this fight on the feet as five of his nine career victories have come by way of knockout. A win for either fighter would likely secure another fight in their respective country, with the UFC doing more regional events than ever.
Jason Saggo (Bolton, Ont.) vs. Paul Felder
Coming off a successful UFC debut in June, Saggo (10-1) looks for his sixth straight win as he battles Felder who makes his promotional debut. The 28-year-old made short work of Josh Shockley in his promotional debut at UFC 174, finishing the fight via TKO with three seconds left in the opening round. He’ll have his hands full against the undefeated Felder (8-0) who is coming off a highlight-reel spinning-heel kick knockout in his last fight at CFFC 38. With 16-career finishes through 19 combined fights, don’t expect this contest to go the distance.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (Boucherville, Que.) vs. Jake Lindsey
A pair of fighters coming off losses duke it out in the lightweight division as TUF Nations runner up Aubin-Mercier (4-1) takes on (9-1) Lindsay. The 25-year-old Mercier is coming off a split decision loss to Laprise and hopes to live up to the hype that surrounded him during his TUF run. Lindsey meanwhile had his nine-fight winning streak snapped in his UFC debut against Jon Tuck when he was stopped in the third round. Expect a sense of urgency in this fight as a second straight loss for either fighter could mean an exit from the UFC.
Matt Dwyer (Kelowna, B.C.) vs. Albert Tumenov
The second fight on the UFC Fight Pass portion of the prelims features 7-1 welterweight Dwyer who makes his UFC debut against Albert Tumenov. Dwyer was initially slated to face Tristar’s Alex Garcia at UFC 176, but an injury forced him off the card, which was subsequently cancelled anyways. The Toshido MMA product earned his UFC contract by knocking out UFC veteran DaMarcus Johnson in his last fight at BFL 30 this past May. Dwyer comes into this fight on a five-fight winning streak and is one of the larger welterweights in the division, standing a lanky six-foot-four. At just 24 years old, the Canadian native looks to follow in the footsteps of fellow Canuck Jordan Mein who has established himself as a legitimate prospect in the welterweight division.
Chris Kelades (Darthmouth, N.S.) vs. Patrick Holohan
Taking the fight on less than a week’s notice, local fighter Kelades will become the first ever Canadian flyweight to compete in the UFC when he debuts Saturday against Holohan. The 33-year-old Kelades (7-1) replaces Louis Gaudinot who was scratched from the event due to pneumonia. He faces a stiff task in Holohan (10-0) who not only is undefeated, but has finished his last four fights. With the flyweight division in dire need of contenders, a win for the Canadian would propel him up the 125-pound rankings.