The UFC has locked in a return trip to Toronto. UFC 336 is set for January 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena, and Mike Malott, fresh off a knockout win in Edmonton, is already lobbying for a spot on the card.
First Toronto Date Since UFC 297
UFC 336 will be the promotion’s first numbered event of 2027 and its eighth show in Toronto. The city’s last UFC date came in January 2024 at UFC 297, when Dricus du Plessis dethroned Sean Strickland for the middleweight title in front of a sellout crowd that set a UFC gate record in Canada at the time. Tickets for the new Scotiabank Arena date go on sale next month, according to the UFC schedule.
The announcement dropped while the UFC was in Edmonton for its latest Fight Night, hours before the main event. It also comes while Sean Strickland, who has since reclaimed the middleweight title, remains in a contractual standoff with the promotion, according to Cageside Press, which helps explain why the headliner rumors center on welterweight rather than a title defense in Toronto.
No Fights Locked In, but a Welterweight Rumor Is Already Circulating
No bouts have been officially announced for the card. Cageside Press has floated a possible headliner between Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates at welterweight, though the UFC has not confirmed it. Both men share something in common: each has beaten Jack Della Maddalena in his last outings, fueling speculation that a Makhachev-Prates matchup could help settle the welterweight pecking order, as tracked on the UFC rankings page. If it comes together, the matchup would rank among the division’s biggest this season, though neither an official announcement date nor whether a title would be on the line has been determined yet.
Streaming Shifts to Paramount+ North of the Border
The announcement comes with a change for Canadian viewers. Sportsnet currently carries UFC events in Canada, where numbered cards have so far required a separate pay-per-view purchase. Starting in January, those cards move to Paramount+, with access that Cageside Press describes as matching what American subscribers already get, without an extra pay-per-view charge. For U.S. fans planning to watch UFC 336, the change mostly keeps the status quo, since numbered cards are already bundled into a Paramount+ subscription south of the border. The UFC has typically run two events a year in Canada since live events resumed after the pandemic, and UFC 336 fits that pattern.
Malott Already Raising His Hand
Mike Malott, a native of Ontario, has fresh momentum to make his case. On Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, he finished Joaquin Buckley in the main event with a second-round knee to the chin, a performance that earned him a $100,000 bonus and a fifth straight win, pushing his record to 15-2-1 overall and 8-1 in the UFC. He was ranked No. 13 at welterweight on the UFC rankings heading into the fight and should move up when the list updates.
Asked about his plans afterward, he didn’t hold back: “I’m ready to defend Canada in the octagon, so when they come back in January, expect me to be there.” Jack Della Maddalena’s name came up as a possible opponent, and Malott said he wasn’t picky about who it is: “Any of these guys (at welterweight) get me excited.” He said he’s waiting on the call, though he’s in no rush for it to come too soon after his Edmonton win. The full UFC results from Edmonton are posted on the site.
A 2027 Calendar Taking Shape
The announcement lands while the UFC is still closing out its 2026 slate, with several numbered cards still to come before year’s end, including UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi and UFC 335 in Cleveland. Locking in a Toronto date for January 30 gives the promotion months to build a card around a possible welterweight showdown, while Malott makes his pitch to be on it in front of his home fans. Nothing rules out a different headliner emerging before then, and tickets will go on sale well before the full lineup is set, leaving organizers several weeks to officially book the first fights and figure out who else joins the card.
