Canadian UFC Fighter Barriault Eyes Third Consecutive Victory

Marc-Andre Barriault, the Canadian middleweight, has his sights set on recording his third consecutive victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Known also by his fighting moniker “Power Bar”, Barriault is preparing to face off against Brazilian Michel Pereira, or “Demolidor”, in Las Vegas next month at a UFC Fight Night event.

Barriault, currently holding a 16-6-0 record, continues to ride the wave of his most recent successes over American fighters Eryk Anders also known as “Ya Boi”, and Julian Marquez, dubbed “The Cuban Missile Crisis”. Now 33, originally hailing from Gatineau, Quebec but currently residing in South Florida, Barriault has bested his opponents in three of his last four match-ups. Following an initial rough patch of three consecutive losses, he’s managed an even ledger of 5-5-0 with one no contest in the UFC arena.

However, he faces a formidable opponent in Pereira, who boasts an impressive track record of 28-11-0 with two no contests and five recent UFC victories. Pereira, a 29-year-old Brazilian, is moving up a weight class after failing to meet the welterweight limit in his scheduled fight against American Stephen Thompson in July at UFC 291, which was later cancelled.

Noteworthy on the Oct. 14 card is the face-off at the UFC Apex production facility between American Sodiq Yussuf, ranking 11th among current featherweight contenders, and Brazilian Edson Barboza, sitting at No. 13.

Despite the challenges and setbacks, Barriault has shown resilience in the sport, with the ability to recover and rebound evident in his rise from a third-round submission loss to American Anthony Hernandez in September 2022, a fight that even saw him dislocate two ribs in the opening round.

Barriault’s UFC journey thus far has been peppered with ups and downs. After surrendering his first three fights, he bounced back in June 2020 stopping Oskar Piechota, only to have this victory tainted by a failed drug test. Barriault attributed the positive result for ostarine to contaminated supplements, a claim backed by the UFC. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency concurred and found no evidence of intentional use, resulting in a six-month suspension.

Post-suspension, Barriault returned to the octagon to record two more victories only to be knocked out in 16 seconds by American fighter Chidi Njokuani in February 2022. He later redeemed himself by securing a victory over American Jordan Wight in a catchweight match of 190 pounds. No hurdle seems too high for this determined contender as he stands ready to fight yet another round in the unpredictable world of UFC.