Mike Malott headlines in Canada again. The UFC announced Tuesday that the Ontario welterweight will face Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Edmonton on October 17 at Rogers Place, with Sportsnet first reporting the booking.
The five-round welterweight bout tops UFC Fight Night 291, the promotion’s first trip back to Edmonton since November 2024. Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius serves as the co-main event after being moved off the August 15 card.
Both men are ranked in the welterweight top 15, with Buckley sitting just ahead of Malott.
Malott’s Canadian Run
Malott (14-2-1, 7-1 UFC) has become the biggest Canadian name on the roster, and the UFC keeps rewarding it with home dates. This is his third consecutive Canadian event and his second main event on home soil.
The 34-year-old from Waterdown, Ontario, hasn’t lost since a January 2024 upset defeat to Neil Magny. He has won four straight since, capped by a third-round knockout of Gilbert Burns in Winnipeg in April that finished off the Brazilian’s career and delivered the biggest win of Malott’s own.
Jasudavicius trains alongside him, which gives the card a Canadian one-two at the top.
Buckley Needs This One
Buckley (21-8, 11-6 UFC) arrives in a different position. The 32-year-old rode a six-fight winning streak after returning to 170 pounds, a run that put him on the doorstep of a title shot, before it came apart.
Kamaru Usman outgrappled him at UFC Atlanta. Sean Brady did the same at UFC 328 in May, controlling him from start to finish. Both were unanimous decisions, and both exposed the same problem. His last win remains the finish of Colby Covington in December 2024.
There is also an unusual detour on the way. Buckley is booked to face Tyron Woodley in a catchweight freestyle wrestling match at Real American Freestyle 12 on August 22 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, airing on Fox Nation. Buckley lost his RAF debut to Pat Downey by technical fall.
Given that grappling is precisely where his last two Octagon fights were decided, the Woodley booking reads as either sharp preparation or an unnecessary risk two months out from a main event he badly needs to win.
