Mike Malott fires at Joaquin Buckley as both make weight
The Canadian who stopped Gilbert Burns says Buckley “would never main event in Canada without me”; both came in at 170.5 pounds
Mike Malott and Joaquin Buckley both made weight on Friday for Saturday’s UFC Edmonton main event at Rogers Place in Alberta, Canada. Each came in at 170.5 pounds at the official weigh-ins, where all 26 fighters on the card hit their marks. The week, however, was defined by the Canadian’s claim that Buckley only headlines in Canada because of him.
Malott’s shot at Buckley
Speaking to Full Send MMA, as reported by Sherdog, Malott responded to Buckley, who had said he feels at home in Canada and has a bigger fan base there than his opponent. “He would never main event in Canada without me,” Malott said. “He is in the main event because I’m the main event for this fight.”
Malott pointed out that he has already headlined in Canada without Buckley and made his intentions clear. “He is the guy whose spot I’m going to take,” he said, while acknowledging that Buckley is “Top 10 in the world for a reason.”
The win over Gilbert Burns in Winnipeg
Malott’s confidence comes from his last outing. In April, he headlined the UFC’s Winnipeg card and stopped Gilbert Burns by third-round TKO at 2:08, dropping the Brazilian twice before finishing him with ground strikes.
It was Malott’s fourth straight win, and he enters at 14-2-1. His only UFC loss came against Neil Magny in January 2024 in Toronto. Since then, he has beaten Trevin Giles, in Edmonton, Charles Radtke, Kevin Holland and Burns.
For Burns, Winnipeg marked the end of his MMA career. He announced his retirement after the loss and went back to grappling competition: this month, at UFC BJJ 12, he was submitted by Gabriel Almeida and talked about the loss, as VF Comunica reported.
Where Buckley stands before UFC Edmonton
Buckley, meanwhile, is trying to snap the worst stretch of his welterweight run. He has dropped his last two fights by unanimous decision, to Kamaru Usman in June 2025 and to Sean Brady in May of this year, after a win streak that included a stoppage of Colby Covington in December 2024.
After the Brady loss, Buckley switched camps and moved to Fortis MMA. “Once Sean Brady beat me, I realized I did have to make a change,” he told UFC.com. In the same interview, he brought up Brazil’s Carlos Prates, who is targeted for a title fight with Islam Makhachev. “I would love to fight Prates myself,” he said. “I just got to knock out Mike Malott.”
He has the power to do it. According to a stat the UFC shared this week, Buckley has eight wins by KO or TKO and is tied with Alex Pereira for the most KO/TKO wins since his debut. He says he is counting on the boos, too. “I need the crowd,” he said. “I need that energy. I need that support, or hate, in order to bring out the best in Buck.”
The UFC Edmonton card and start time
The co-main event pits Erin Blanchfield against Jasmine Jasudavicius at flyweight, a title eliminator with champion Natalia Silva watching. On the prelims, Brazil’s Jhonata Diniz faces Tanner Boser at heavyweight, days after he fired back at Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa over UFC pay.
The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET, with the prelims at 5 p.m. ET, all on Paramount+.
Who leaves Edmonton with more: the Canadian who beat Gilbert Burns or the American who needs to get back in the win column? Tell us your pick in the comments.
Read more:
- Gilbert Burns on his loss to Gabriel Almeida at UFC BJJ 12
- Natalia Silva: Blanchfield, Jasudavicius in title eliminator
- Jhonata Diniz fires back at Strickland, Costa over UFC pay
