Mike Malott secured a highlight-reel knockout victory over Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Edmonton on October 17, 2026. The decisive finish came in the second round, with Malott landing a perfectly timed knee that sent Buckley to the canvas at 2:32 of the round. The impact of the knee was such that Buckley's mouthpiece was visibly dislodged and sent flying across the cage.
Fighter Reactions to the Knockout
The brutal knockout elicited strong reactions from the mixed martial arts community. Several fighters, including Gilbert Burns, Tatiana Suarez, Arnold Allen, and Kenny Florian, expressed amazement at Malott’s performance, according to MMA Fighting. UFC featherweight Kai Kamaka also reacted to the finish, specifically expressing concern for Joaquin Buckley’s condition. Kamaka posted on social media, “Praying for Buckley,” in response to Buckley’s collapse after the knockout.
Malott's Ascent in the Welterweight Division
The victory marks a significant moment for Mike Malott, who now holds a UFC record of 7-1-0 across eight UFC fights. Prior to this bout, Malott was on a three-fight UFC win streak, which he has now extended to four. His last fight before facing Buckley was in April 2026, where he won against Gilbert Burns by KO/TKO with punches in round three at 2:08 in a welterweight contest. The pre-fight market had Malott at 71% to win that fight. Other recent victories for Malott include a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland in October 2025, a KO/TKO punch victory against Charles Radtke in May 2025, and a unanimous decision win over Trevin Giles in November 2024. His only UFC loss came in January 2024 against Neil Magny. Following his win over Buckley, Malott's UFC Elo rating stands at 1121, and he is officially ranked as the #13 welterweight in the UFC. Malott, who is 34 years old, stands 6 feet 1 inch tall with a 73-inch reach and fights from an Orthodox stance. He has demonstrated a takedown accuracy of 58% with 1.1 takedowns per fight before this bout, though his takedown defense was 17%.
Buckley's Recent Challenges
For Joaquin Buckley, this defeat adds another challenge to his recent welterweight run. Buckley, who is 32 years old, has a UFC record of 11-6-0 across 17 UFC fights. He stands 5 feet 10 inches tall with a 76-inch reach and fights from a Southpaw stance. Before this fight, Buckley was ranked #10 in the welterweight division. This loss marks his third consecutive defeat, following unanimous decision losses to Sean Brady in May 2026 and Kamaru Usman in June 2025. Prior to these losses, Buckley had secured notable victories, including a KO/TKO win over Colby Covington in December 2024 and a KO/TKO punch victory against Stephen Thompson in October 2024. His UFC Elo rating after the fight is 1114. Buckley's takedown accuracy before the fight was 36% with 1.2 takedowns per fight, and his takedown defense stood at 73%. There are no next booked UFC fights on record for either fighter.
By the numbers
| Fighter | UFC record | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Malott | 7-1-0 | Welterweight #13 |
| Joaquin Buckley | 11-6-0 | Welterweight #10 |
UFC records count UFC fights only. Records and rankings from UFC Stats and ufc.com.
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