Fighters On The Rise | UFC 297

Simply put, the surging Canadian is a finisher, and he’s happy to tell you as much. In addition to having earned each of his first 10 professional victories inside the distance, Malott makes no bones about his goals once he steps into the cage — he wants to win “by strikes or by strangle,” and isn’t someone that is going to be looking to amass points or impress the judges.

This weekend, the 10-1-1 talent faces off with Neil Magny in another classic welterweight litmus test.

Magny has the most wins in the division’s history and has filled this role many times over, turning back the likes of Geoff Neal, Daniel Rodriguez, and Phil Rowe, while landing on the wrong side of things against upwardly mobile talents Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry in the past.

Fighting close to home and against a Top 15 opponent for the first time, this is a high-pressure spot for the Canadian, but everything Malott has shown thus far suggests that not only is he up for the task, but he welcomes it and the responsibility that comes with being the final fighter repping the Maple Leaf making the walk on Saturday night.

Charles Jourdain

One of the longest tenured Canadians on the UFC roster, Jourdain has hovered on the fringes of the Top 15 in the featherweight division for a couple years, but appears poised to potentially break into the rankings in 2024.

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While the French-Canadian quickly established a reputation for himself as an all-action fighter upon arriving in the UFC, last year saw the 28-year-old add a little more patience and tactical awareness to his game, resulting in a pair of crucial victories. First, in May, Jourdain dominated Kron Gracie, thoroughly out-working the renowned grappler at UFC 288 to snap a two-fight slide, and then in September, he snatched the neck of Ricardo Ramos, squeezing out a first-round submission that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Those two efforts, combined with his previous strong performances against the likes of Dooho Choi, Andre Fili, Shane Burgos, and Nathaniel Wood illustrate the reason for excitement as Jourdain begins his 2024 campaign this weekend opposite DWCS alum Sean Woodson. He remains a dangerous threat at all times, but has also committed to taking a more mature and strategic approach to things inside the cage, which should serve to minimize mistakes and instances where he puts himself in bad positions.

Facing Woodson is a perfect opportunity to see how much those changes from last year have taken root, as the St. Louis native sports a considerable height and reach advantage, which should — in theory — force Jourdain to be calculated in terms of figuring out how to get inside and be effective on the feet. With a 4-1-1 record under the UFC banner, Woodson is also on the cusp of the rankings, and likely sees Saturday’s pairing as his own chance to break into the Top 15, which means he too should be dialed in from the outset.

UFC 297 Full Fight Card Preview

Jourdain was a two-division champion prior to arriving in the UFC and has always carried a ton of promise. He begins his sixth year on the roster level at six wins, six losses, and one draw, but his success in 2023 means he enters this weekend’s contest with a ton of momentum, and if he can keep that going, this could be the year that “Air” Jourdain soars into contention.

Serhiy Sidey

From one of the longest tenured Canucks on the roster to the newest member of “Team Canada” to compete inside the UFC Octagon, Sidey makes his promotional debut a stone’s thrown from his hometown of Burlington in a preliminary card pairing that carries more heat and intrigue than a typical debut contest usually does.

The 27-year-old Sidey earned his spot in the UFC featherweight division with a first-round stoppage win over Ramon Taveras last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, navigating an early scare to collect the finish just ahead of the midway point of the round. But many believed the stoppage was premature and after Taveras punched his ticket to the big show, the two were re-booked to face one another this weekend in what is now their shared UFC debuts.

A champion in both BTC and Battlefield Fight League, Sidey enters on a six-fight winning streak, with his five fights prior to his DWCS appearance all being title fights. The Aegis MMA representative has slick hands, underrated grappling, and cardio for days, and is likely to benefit from training with and being surrounded by fighters like Malott and Jasmine Jasudavicius this week as he goes through his first UFC Fight Week experience.

Taveras can crack and showed that in both his first meetings with Sidey and his subsequent victory on Week 10 last season. Coupled with the potential stressors of fighting at home and making the walk for the first time, this is no easy initial assignment for the promising Ukrainian-Canadian.

Having said that, Sidey played a bunch of “road games” as BFL champion, venturing to Vancouver to face local challengers in front of their friends and family, so the opportunity to be surrounded by friendly faces is unlikely to be detrimental in any way, and is more likely to bring out the best in the skilled new arrival.