Mike Malott is getting a shot at the top 10.
On Tuesday, the UFC announced that Malott will take on Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Edmonton on Oct. 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Currently No. 10 in the UFC’s welterweight rankings, Buckley went on a six-fight winning streak when he returned to 170 pounds in 2023,
putting him on the cusp of a title shot before losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta last summer. In May, “New Mansa” then dropped a decision to Sean Brady at UFC 328, leaving Buckley in dire need of a big win to keep his title hopes alive.
Malott entered the UFC in 2022 with the hope that he might become the new face of Canadian MMA, and while it’s taken some time, “Proper” is close to being just that. Since his last-minute loss to Neil Magny at UFC 297, Malott has been perfect, stringing together four wins, including a stoppage over Gilbert Burns in April, to earn the No. 12 ranking in the UFC and make him a dark horse title challenger.
Also on the card, flyweight contenders Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius will throw down in a pivotal 125-pound class in the co-main event, announced by UFC’s Canadian broadcast partner Sportsnet.
Blanchfield and Jasudavicius were originally set to fight at UFC 330, but a minor injury forced Blanchfield out of the event, leading the promotion to postpone the bout until October.
