Toronto Deserves More Than a Vacation Stop: UFC 336 Needs a Main Event That Hits
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
The promotion returns to Scotiabank Arena in January, but rumors of a Makhachev-Prates clash are the only things keeping the hype alive.
Toronto is a world-class city, but for too long, the UFC has treated it like a convenient stop on a tour rather than a destination for the sport's biggest spectacles. As first reported by Sportsnet, the promotion is returning to the city for UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena. While the event marks the 39th time the UFC has visited Canada and the eighth time they have come to Toronto, the pattern remains the same: the date is set, the venue is locked, but the actual draw is left to the imagination.
***OPINION***: It is time for the UFC to stop treating Toronto as a secondary market and deliver a main event that justifies the city's status. We have seen the promotion use Canada as a staging ground for talent, but rarely does the city get the kind of blockbuster centerpiece that defines an era of the sport.
According to Sportsnet, the announcement of the event took place during a Fight Night card at Rogers Arena in Edmonton, where a record 12 Canadian fighters competed. Yet, despite the local passion, the UFC has yet to officially announce a headline bout for the January date. Instead, fans are left to rely on online rumors. Sportsnet notes that speculation is swirling around a potential welterweight title defense featuring champion Islam Makhachev against the No. 1 contender, Carlos Prates.
If the promotion actually delivers Makhachev vs. Prates, it would be the kind of high-stakes matchup Toronto deserves. Makhachev enters the conversation with an 18-1-0 UFC record and a dominant 17-fight winning streak, looking for his second title defense in a bout that would be his first since August. Facing him would be Carlos Prates, a Brazilian fighter with a 7-1-0 record who is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. As Sportsnet reports, Prates has secured three consecutive TKO victories, each earning him a performance of the night bonus.
Toronto has a history with the fight game, dating back to events like UFC 140 on Dec. 10, 2011, where Chan Sung Jung scored a technical knockout over Thamesford, Ontario's Mark Hominick. But since the Jan. 2024 visit for UFC 297—which featured Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis—the city has been waiting for a fight that feels essential.
Giving Toronto a title fight between a dominant champion like Makhachev and a rising force like Prates would be a step in the right direction. The city is ready for the big lights; the question is whether the UFC is finally ready to give Toronto a main event that matches its ambition.