Pantoja defends title at UFC 317, Van thrills on huge night for flyweights

If you are a fan of flyweight mixed martial arts, UFC 317 was definitely the event for you.

Four years ago, a teenage midfielder named Niko Sigur was a budding U Sports prospect while playing for York University.

Today, at age 21, Sigur is a member of the Canadian men’s national team that is on the verge of advancing to the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals. Sigur, a native of Burnaby, B.C., has featured in all three games at this year’s competition for Les Rouges, playing 250 out of 270 possible minutes and winning plaudits for his composed and mature performances.

Concacaf took notice of Sigur’s outstanding form this week when he was named to the Gold Cup group stage Best XI. Coach Jesse Marsch will be looking for more of the same from the Hajduk Split midfielder when Canada faces Guatemala in Sunday’s quarterfinal matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

“[When] I watch Niko play week in and week out, I see how good he is. I see how important he has been to Split. I see how strong he is and how intelligent he is,” Marsch said on Saturday.

Sigur appears to be well on his way to establishing himself as a key player for his country ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup. If the young midfielder continues on his current trajectory, he could be starting in Canada’s opening match of the tournament on June 12 at Toronto’s BMO Field.

Other coaches might not have been so keen to give such responsibility to Sigur. But he has benefited from playing for a manager in Marsch who has always been keen to give youngsters a chance during his coaching career.

“I’ve heard along the way, sometimes, that national team managers say you can’t develop players. And I totally disagree with that. I think anytime you’re a coach, this is your job — to try to maximize potential at all moments that you’re together,” Marsch explained.

“There have been a few guys that I’ve talked about that maybe I haven’t always handled perfectly, becaus