Top 5: UFC Winnipeg ‘Fight of the Night’ candidates

A crowd-pleasing style had Kyler Phillips on the brink of contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division not that long ago. The MMA Lab rep will attempt to correct course when he confronts former TKO Major League MMA champion Charles Jourdain in the UFC Fight Night 273 co-main event this Saturday at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Phillips, 30, enters the arena gladiatorum on the heels of back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 graduate last fought at UFC 318, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Vinicius Oliveira on July 19. Phillips holds a 6-3 record in the UFC, his run with the promotion highlighted by wins over Pedro Munhoz , Raoni Barcelos and Yadong Song . Jourdain, meanwhile, steps into the spotlight on the strength of consecutive victories.

The 30-year-old Academie Pro Star MMA export last saw action on Oct. 18, when he put away Davey Grant with a guillotine choke a little more than three minutes into their UFC Fight Night 262 pairing. Jourdain has compiled an 8-7-1 mark across his 16 appearances inside the Octagon, his resume anchored by wins over Victor Henry , Ricardo Ramos , Kron Gracie and Doo Ho Choi .

The Phillips-Jourdain showdown sticks out as one of the prime candidates for “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC Fight Night 273. Four more to consider: Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott Burns appears to be walking a tightrope at 170 pounds.