Mike Malott Knocks Out Joaquin Buckley With Devastating Knee at UFC Edmonton
Mike Malott sent Buckley's mouthpiece flying with a brutal second-round knee to headline UFC Edmonton.
Mike Malott delivered the knockout of the year candidate on Saturday night, finishing Joaquin Buckley with a vicious knee and follow-up punches at 2:32 of the second round to headline UFC Edmonton at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Malott (15-2-1) was patient through a tentative first round where neither fighter committed to sustained offense. Buckley had refused to touch gloves before the bout, and the Canadian crowd let him hear about it.
The pace changed in round two. Midway through the frame, Malott timed a perfect knee to Buckley's jaw that sent his mouthpiece flying across the canvas, per Sherdog. Buckley fell face-first, and Malott followed with a punch before referee intervention ended it.
Buckley (21-9) had been riding momentum as a top-10 welterweight after a strong 2025 run, but Malott made a statement that he belongs at that level. The UFC's official social account called it immediately: Canada has a top-10 welterweight.
Malott earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus for the finish. His brother Jeff Malott, a forward for the Anaheim Ducks, reportedly went wild watching the knockout, per BJPenn.com.
Before the fight, Malott told media at UFC Edmonton media day that the main event was his show. He backed it up in the most emphatic way possible.
That knee is going to be on highlight reels for a long time. Malott told everyone at media day this was his show, and he meant it. He was composed through a nothing first round, stayed patient when Buckley tried to bait him into a brawl, and then detonated the most violent finish I have seen at a Fight Night card this year.
Buckley refusing the glove touch only made it sweeter for the Edmonton crowd. This was a hostile environment for him from the jump, and Malott fed off every decibel.
The welterweight division just got a problem. Malott is 15-2-1 with four straight wins, and he just flatlined a top-10 guy in his own country. Give him Shavkat Rakhmonov's next dance partner or a top-five name. The man earned it.
