Mike Malott sent the Canadian crowd into a frenzy in the main event of UFC Edmonton, held last Saturday, the 17th, in Edmonton, Canada. In front of a packed arena that was fully behind him, the welterweight knocked out veteran Joaquin Buckley in the second round with a perfectly timed knee to the face, followed by a punch on his downed opponent, at 2:32. The performance earned the Canadian a Performance of the Night bonus and a spot among the Knockout of the Year contenders.
The first round was a feeling-out process with open exchanges, good shots from both sides and neither man willing to back down. In the second, Malott came out more determined and found his timing: just as Buckley threw his left hand, the Canadian landed the knee on the American’s chin, and he crumbled. In good spirits, the winner joked after the fight that he may be soft-spoken, but he hits really hard.
FUELED BY THE CROWD, MIKE MALOTT ADDS ANOTHER WIN OVER A BIG WELTERWEIGHT NAME
The hometown win confirms the Canadian’s strong run in the 170-pound division. In April, Malott had already beaten Brazilian Gilbert ‘Durinho’, a former welterweight title challenger, and now adds another result against a heavy hitter in the division. Buckley, who arrived in Edmonton as the more experienced fighter in the main event, was known precisely for his knockout power and aggression, which made the way his night ended all the more striking.
JASMINE JASUDAVICIUS UPSETS ERIN BLANCHFIELD AND CALLS FOR A REMATCH WITH CHAMPION NATÁLIA SILVA
In the co-main event, another hometown fighter came out on top. Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius, No. 6 in the flyweight rankings, beat American Erin Blanchfield, No. 3, by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards. It was the only fight of the entire night that went to the judges. Jasudavicius used her ground game and grappling to neutralize an opponent known precisely for her skills on the mat and handed Blanchfield just the second loss of her UFC career.
With her second straight win and seven victories in her last eight fights, the Canadian wasted no time pointing to the top of the division. Her target is Brazil’s Natália Silva, who won the flyweight belt at UFC 332 in early October with a unanimous decision over China’s Wang Cong. The two already crossed paths in June 2022 in Austin, Texas, when the Brazilian won a unanimous decision. Jasudavicius said she believes she has earned a title shot and suggested Toronto, at UFC 336, as the ideal stage for the rematch.
A NIGHT OF QUICK FINISHES: ONLY ONE FIGHT WENT TO THE SCORECARDS AND THE CARD’S ONLY BRAZILIAN CAME UP SHORT
The rest of the main card kept up the knockout pace. Cristian Perez needed just 27 seconds to put away Kyle Nelson, while Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault stopped Kyle Daukaus by TKO at 4:28 of the first round. Timmy Cuamba submitted Louis Jourdain in the second round, and Mandel Nallo opened the main card broadcast with a TKO of Nate Landwehr just 47 seconds into the second round.
The only Brazilian on the card, Jhonata Diniz closed out the prelims against Canada’s Tanner Boser and could not impose the striking that is usually his main weapon. Boser went for takedowns in every round, shut down the Brazilian heavyweight’s stand-up game and, in the third round, landed a flurry of punches that forced the stoppage at 4:26, in the final seconds of the fight.
UFC Edmonton’s opening bout ended with SuYoung You submitting Cody Chovancek at 4:19 of the third round. To follow Brazilians in the Octagon and upcoming coverage, The Mat Nation’s MMA section brings together news from the UFC and the world’s top events.
FULL UFC EDMONTON RESULTS:
MAIN CARD
Mike Malott def. Joaquin Buckley by KO at 2:32 of R2
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Erin Blanchfield by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cristian Perez def. Kyle Nelson by KO at 0:27 of R1
Marc-Andre Barriault def. Kyle Daukaus by TKO at 4:28 of R1
Timmy Cuamba def. Louis Jourdain by submission at 2:48 of R2
Mandel Nallo def. Nate Landwehr by TKO at 0:47 of R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Tanner Boser def. Jhonata Diniz by TKO at 4:26 of R3
Nick Galanti def. Julien Leblanc by submission at 1:26 of R1
Joel Faglier def. Javad Mahjoub by TKO at 2:11 of R2
Katlyn Cerminara def. Mackenzie Stiller by TKO at 4:46 of R1
Steven Koslow def. Chad Anheliger by submission at 4:31 of R3
Chelsea Chandler def. Melissa Croden by submission at 4:52 of R1
SuYoung You def. Cody Chovancek by submission at 4:19 of R3
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
