Mike Malott headlines on Canadian soil again Saturday night, meeting Joaquin Buckley in the welterweight main event of UFC Edmonton at Rogers Place. The main card streams on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET after prelims at 5 p.m. ET, and the fight arrives with some edge after Buckley spent fight week calling his opponent “just a pretty face.”
What’s at stake
Malott has won four straight, a run that began at Rogers Place two years ago and peaked with a third-round TKO of Gilbert Burns in his first UFC main event in Winnipeg in April. That loss sent Burns into retirement. Now 7-1 in the UFC, Malott told UFC.com that a win “should plant me pretty comfortably in the top 10.”
Buckley, whose booking against Malott was announced in July, is defending that territory. He ran off six straight wins after moving to welterweight, capped by a finish of Colby Covington in December 2024, then dropped back-to-back decisions to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady. He still sits in the top 10 of both rankings, according to UFC.com, which makes Saturday a fight to stop the slide before a ranked Canadian takes his spot.
The case for each fighter
Buckley has the power. UFC.com’s fight-week breakdown calls him one of the bigger one-strike threats in the division and notes that Malott is not the kind of wrestler Usman and Brady were, which is how both of Buckley’s recent losses were built. Buckley moved his camp to Fortis MMA in Dallas, with coach Sayif Saud set to lead his corner, and he is not shy about the plan.
“Somebody is definitely going to be laid out flat, looking at the lights,” Buckley told MMA Junkie. He also said it is not his job to sell a fight in his opponent’s backyard. “But it’s his home,” he said. “So you need to promote this a little heavier. Not me.”
Malott has the momentum, the crowd and a full training room behind him. Niagara Top Team teammates Jasmine Jasudavicius and Cody Chovancek are both on the card. He had respect for Buckley, calling him “very clearly one of the best guys in the world,” but no doubt about the matchup. “I’m a tough fight for anybody in the world at 170, man,” Malott said. “Everything is falling into place at the right time.”
Oddsmakers lean his way. Malott is a -140 favorite with Buckley at +120, per Yahoo Sports.
The co-main event carries title implications at women’s flyweight. Erin Blanchfield (14-2) beat Rose Namajunas the last time the UFC visited Edmonton, while Jasudavicius rebounded with a decision over Karine Silva in April. UFC.com notes some friction, too: Jasudavicius handed Blanchfield’s close friend and training partner Fatima Kline her first career loss.
Full fight card
| Bout | Division | Card |
|---|---|---|
| Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott | Welterweight | Main card |
| Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius | Women’s flyweight | Main card |
| Kyle Nelson vs. Cristian Perez | Lightweight | Main card |
| Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Kyle Daukaus | Middleweight | Main card |
| Louis Jourdain vs. Timmy Cuamba | Bantamweight | Main card |
| Mandel Nallo vs. Nate Landwehr | Lightweight | Main card |
| Tanner Boser vs. Jhonata Diniz | Heavyweight | Prelims |
| Julien Leblanc vs. Nick Galanti | Middleweight | Prelims |
| Javad Mahjoub vs. Joel Faglier | Heavyweight | Prelims |
| Mackenzie Stiller vs. Katlyn Cerminara | Women’s flyweight | Prelims |
| Chad Anheliger vs. Steven Koslow | Bantamweight | Prelims |
| Melissa Croden vs. Chelsea Chandler | Women’s bantamweight | Prelims |
| Cody Chovancek vs. SuYoung You | Bantamweight | Prelims |
Three prelim bouts changed in the run-up to fight week: Nick Galanti replaced Gilbert Urbina, Joel Faglier replaced Louis Sutherland, and Mackenzie Stiller replaced Jamey-Lyn Horth.
How to watch
UFC Edmonton takes place Saturday, Oct. 17, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. In the U.S., the entire card streams on Paramount+, with prelims at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) and the main card at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). In Canada, the event airs on Sportsnet, the UFC’s Canadian broadcast partner.
