Marc-Andre Barriault seems to have drifted perilously close to the cut line in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.
As Barriault moves ever closer to his looming confrontation with Stoltzfus at 185 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:
Krzysztof Jotko
The methodical American Top Team mainstay eked out a split decision over Barriault in a UFC 240 middleweight appetizer on July 27, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Dave Hagen and Derek Cleary for Jotko, Kevin Dornan for Barriault. Neither man distinguished himself in what devolved into an utterly forgettable 15-minute quagmire. Jotko pursued a grinding clinch across all three rounds, mindful of the former TKO Major League MMA champion’s punching power. He landed short punches and the occasional knee to the body, repeatedly luring Barriault into his close-quarters rabbit hole. The Canadian connected in one-strike intervals—a short elbow off the break opened a cut near Jotko’s eyebrow in the third round—but failed to control distance and paid the price on the scorecards.
Abu Azaitar
Barriault put away the Moroccan with third-round punches as part of the UFC 260 undercard on March 27, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 4:56 into Round 3 and brought the Canadian his first victory as a member of the UFC roster. Azaitar enjoyed a strong start with repeated leg kicks, looping power punches and close-range knee strikes. However, his body broke under the merciless pace being pushed by his counterpart. Barriault withstood a sweeping left hook from him in the second round, piled up points with volume punching and incorporated sharp elbows in the clinch. Round 3 was a massacre. Once the visibly depleted Azaiatar surrendered top position while reaching for his mouthpiece, the scene grew increasingly gruesome. Barriault achieved full mount on four separate occasions, assaulting the World Series of Fighting veteran with sustained ground-and-pound until referee Jerin Valel had seen enough. The loss was Azaitar’s first in more than eight years and closed the book on his 10-fight unbeaten streak.
Eryk Anders
Barriault outstruck the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion to a unanimous decision across three rounds in their UFC 289 middleweight feature on June 10, 2023 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards. Barriault decked the ex-University of Alabama linebacker with a clubbing right hand in the first round, nullified his takedown game and ripped into him with a variety of weapons. Anders pressed his efforts in the clinch to minimal success and failed on 11 of his 12 attempted takedowns. Barriault hit the accelerator in the latter half of the match, outlanded the Spartan Fitness rep by a 41-22 margin in significant strikes across the final five minutes to salt away his second victory in as many appearances.
Chris Curtis
The former CES MMA champion called upon effective counters and damaging dirty boxing in a hotly contested split decision over Barriault in a UFC 297 middleweight showcase on Jan. 20, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Judges Eric Colon and Declan Woods struck 30-27 scorecards for Curtis, while Derek Cleary scored it 29-28 for Barriault. Neither man seized the initiative through the first 10 minutes, the natives growing restless with the perceived lack of meaningful activity. Curtis opened multiple cuts on the Canadian—one across the bridge of the nose, another above the right eyebrow—and seemed to find another gear when it mattered most. He engaged Barriault at close range in a number of third-round exchanges, attacking the body and head with equal aplomb ahead of his sweep on the scorecards.