Many cynical mixed martial arts fans are writing UFC 161 off as a bust since there have been a handful of injuries that have reshaped the fight card.
But the talent that remains is more than capable of entertaining the crowd at the MTS Centre when the UFC makes its first trip to Winnipeg.
With that, here are some quotes, facts and 1-on-1 interviews with the seven Canadians competing on the card, plus a couple heavy-handed Americans thrown in there.
Pat Barry – “My ideal fight is to walk to the Octagon, get greased down, get in the cage, hold my hands in the air and get ready for this and then they announce his name and then he walks out and about halfway out he twists his ankle and the fight gets cancelled. That’s ideal.”
Fighter fact: Only Junior dos Santos has more knockdowns than Pat Barry in UFC heavyweight history. Barry is tied for second all-time with Andrei Arlovski and Cain Velasquez. Also, Barry has only attempted two takedowns in his UFC career.
Watch the always entertaining heavyweight talk about his upcoming fight with Shawn Jordan before being joined by his girlfriend, Rose Namajunas, who is an undefeated fighter in her own right.
Sam Stout – “I always put a lot of pressure on myself to put on exciting fights. I’ve always understood that this sport is what it is because of the fans … we’re here to entertain them as well as win the fight.”
Fighter fact: Stout has landed more significant strikes than any other lightweight in UFC history with 838.
Stout will welcome WEC veteran James Krause to the UFC.
Alexis Davis – “This is a whole new experience for me … Perfect fight would just be to entertain the crowd.”
Fighter fact: Davis will become the first Canadian female to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship; her first professional fight was in Winnipeg in 2007.
Davis will be looking for her sixth win in last seven fights when she faces veteran Rosi Sexton.
Ryan Jimmo – “I’m going to get a knockout and if I don’t get a knockout it’s going to be a one-sided beating and that’s that.”
Fighter fact: Jimmo has scored two knockdowns in UFC career (including a seven-second KO at UFC 149) despite only landing three power head strikes, according to fightnomics.com.
Jimmo will look to avoid the first two-fight losing streak of his career when he takes on Igor Pokrajac.
Sean Pierson – “It’s one of those fights where I don’t know exactly what his game plan is going to be, but I know I’m going to cause a lot of problems for him out there and I’m looking for a stoppage.”
Fighter fact: Pierson has landed an average of 52.4 significant strikes per fight throughout his UFC career.
Pierson is seeking his first three-fight win streak in the UFC when he meets Kenny Robertson.
Roland Delorme – “I hope when I come out I hear a loud roar because I’m going out there to hurt somebody. I want to put on a show.”
Fighter fact: Delorme lands an average of 3.97 significant strikes per minute, but absorbs 5.59 significant strikes per minute.
The Winnipeg native will look to pick up his sixth career win in his hometown when he meets Edwin Figueroa.
Yves Jabouin – “Perfect fight on the night would be come in, throw that right hand straight in the centre and he goes down to sleep.”
Fighter fact: Jabouin has a takedown defence rating of 80 per cent, second only to Tyron Woodley (88 per cent) among UFC 161 competitors.
Jabouin will attempt to hand Dustin Pague his third straight loss when the two meet in the first fight of the night.
Mitch Clarke — “I’m here to make people respect me.”
Fighter fact: Clarke was the first Saskatchewan-born fighter to get signed by the UFC when he did so back in 2011.
The 27-year-old is looking to snap a three-fight losing streak as he takes on England’s John Maguire in preliminary action.
Shawn Jordan – “It should be fun. Sure, it sucks we have to hit each other, but it’s going to be fun and hopefully I win.”
Fighter fact: Jordan has a takedown defence of 77 per cent and a striking accuracy of 55 per cent in his UFC/Strikeforce career.
Jordan is looking to build off the momentum of his TKO of Mike Russow in January when he takes on fellow stocky heavyweight Pat Barry.
