Misha Cirkunov was not born in Canada, but it is home now.

Born in Riga, Latvia, the 29-year-old light heavyweight grew up in Toronto, trains out of the Xtreme Couture gym in Etobicoke, Ont., and made his UFC debut at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon on August 23, 2015.

“I was the first fight on the card [in Saskatoon] and the fans, all the support, it was just phenomenal,” Cirkunov told TSN.ca. “I fought an American and being here in Canada, I was the first fight on the card, but the whole entire stadium was yelling and cheering me on, yelling my name.”

Less than a year later, with two consecutive victories to open his UFC tenure, Cirkunov (11-2) is back for his 11th professional bout north of the border, squaring off against Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 89 at the TD Place Arena in Ottawa on Saturday night.

Cirkunov is one of 10 Canadian fighters featured on the card, including welterweight title contender Rory MacDonald, who locks horns with Stephen Thompson in the main event. Rimouski, Que.’s Patrick Cote battles Donald Cerrone in the co-main event. 

It is the first time the UFC is holding a show in Ottawa and the second time in three fights that Cirkunov will be a part of an event breaking into a new market.

“We’re going somewhere the fights have never happened and it’s great,” he said. “I want to show all the locals what real fighting is all about and put up a really, really great show and something for everyone to cheer on.”

Cutelaba (11-1, 1 NC) is making his UFC debut on Saturday and is on a seven-fight win streak leading up to the preliminary card bout. His resume doesn’t consist of any recognizable names, but his results speak for themselves.

The 22 year old has eight first-round knockouts — nine total — and one submission victory. His only loss came by way of disqualification for punches to the back of the head.

“He’s a very, very talented, young up-and-coming fighter — great boxer, heavy hands, good athlete, strong,” Cirkunov said. “You’re not going to have an easy fight in the UFC, so I’m expecting a very, very tough fight. I’m expecting a very, very hungry opponent who wants to take me out.”

Cirkunov has come face to face with UFC newcomers in each of his first two fights and knows that he’s up against another competitor with the same goals and aspirations he has.

One of the weights a newcomer carries on his or her shoulders is the duty to leave an impression and make the crowd and UFC brass remember you. It’s not the easiest task to accomplish while your opponent tries to knock you unconscious or choke you out, but in Cirkunov’s case, he’s done it twice.

In his debut in Saskatoon, Cirkunov put on a strong grappling display with multiple takedowns in the opening four minutes against Daniel Jolly at UFC Fight Night 74. His wrestling execution led to a vicious ground-and-pound attack and a referee’s stoppage with 15 seconds remaining in the first round.

Cirkunov’s second appearance lasted a little longer, but another superior grappling performance put him in the exact same position against Alex Nicholson early in the second round of their matchup at UFC Fight Night 82 on February 6, 2016 in Las Vegas.

With full control of Nicholson’s back, and executing more gruesome ground-and-pound, Cirkunov couldn’t get deep enough to pull off the rear-naked choke, but did get far enough to lock in a neck crank and force a submission. 

Cirkunov did his job and knows the onus is on his rookie opponent to do the same.

“They’re so hungry to show the whole world, their country, that they belong,” he said.

With just three fights in the UFC, it’s hard to look at the Latvian-Canadian as a veteran in the organization. He certainly doesn’t see it that way, but he has adjusted quickly to the bright lights of the grand stage.

“I used to be excited and look around and look at everything and absorb all that, where now I just have tunnel vision - almost like a sniper scope,” Cirkunov said. “I just concentrate on him [his opponent]. It doesn’t matter who’s in his corner, doesn’t matter who he trained with. It’s just going to be me and him in a cage and all I care about is him.”