All fighters made weight for UFC Winnipeg, with the main event set between Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott, both weighing in at 77.56 kg. Russians Mark Vologdin and Darya Zheleznyakova also successfully made weight for their respective bouts. Thiago Moises and John Castaneda required second attempts to make weight but both ultimately succeeded. Castaneda had previously requested a catchweight bout at 63 kg with Vologdin, who agreed, and Castaneda will forfeit 30% of his purse to Vologdin as a result. The full card includes matchups across multiple weight classes from heavyweight down to women's strawweight.
All fighters cleared the scales on Friday ahead of UFC Winnipeg, setting the stage for a full card headlined by a welterweight clash between Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott on April 17.
Burns, known as "Durinho," enters the bout ranked 13th in the welterweight division at 39 years old. The Brazilian, who trains out of Kill Cliff FC, carries a 22-10 record and brings a well-rounded game to the cage. He lands 3.15 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and adds consistent grappling pressure with 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Malott, who fights out of Canada, weighed in alongside Burns at 77.56 kg. Verified data for Malott was not available in the AgentMMA database at time of publication.
Elsewhere on the card, John Castaneda and Thiago Moises each required second weigh-in attempts before successfully hitting their marks. Castaneda, the 34-year-old American known as "Sexi Mexi," fights out of The Academy and holds a 21-8-1 record. He is one of the more active strikers on the card, landing 4.42 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy. His bout came with an added complication: Castaneda had requested a catchweight agreement at 63 kg with his opponent, Mark Vologdin, who accepted. As a penalty, Castaneda will forfeit 30 percent of his purse to Vologdin.
Moises, a 31-year-old Brazilian out of American Top Team, holds a 19-10 record and fights at 175 cm tall with a 178 cm reach. He averages 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes, making him a threat whenever the fight reaches the mat.
Why it matters
- Burns, a former title contender, needs a strong performance to climb back up the welterweight rankings from 13th place
- The Castaneda-Vologdin catchweight agreement and purse penalty adds financial stakes and potential tension heading into fight night
- Moises brings submission volume that could test any opponent comfortable on the ground
