Two of Canada’s top heavyweights are set to clash on Friday night.

Vancouver, B.C.’s Caio Machado (4-1-1) will defend his BFL heavyweight title in the main event of BFL 67 against Edmonton, Alta.’s Christian Larsen (5-1). The showdown takes place on UFC Fight Pass on June 4.

Primarily training out of Franco Kickboxing Pankration, Machado, 26, welcomed a new face to his training camp this time out.

A significant figure in Machado’s preparation for this bout was the newly-minted heavyweight champion in ONE Championship, Arjan Bhullar.

“For me, it’s really good to feel myself against a guy of that level. Arjan, right now, is a world champion. It’s good because I know the pressure and the style he fights is usually the style that is most annoying for me, the wrestling,” said Machado in an interview with MMA Empire.

“I used to have some problems with it and some more trouble. I’m more of a striker, so it was good to get in there, feel that wrestling pressure, that level of wrestling. Olympic wrestler, ONE FC champion, former UFC fighter. I know whatever he gave to me no one around here can give me that kind of pressure, so it was a really good experience.”

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