# Mike Malott Knocks Out Joaquin Buckley in UFC Edmonton Main Event

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/mma/mike-malott-knocks-out-joaquin-buckley-in-ufc-edmonton-main-event-2026-10-18-mor
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-18T03:58:40.598+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-18T03:58:40.662571+00:00

> Canada's Mike Malott produced the finish of the night at UFC Fight Night 291 in Edmonton on 17 October 2026, knocking out Joaquin Buckley with a perfectly timed knee at 2:32 of round two. The win extends Malott's streak to five and should vault the 34-year-old into the welterweight top 10, capping a card that tied the UFC record with 12 finishes in 13 fights.

## TL;DR
- Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a knee at 2:32 of Round 2 in the UFC Edmonton main event on 17 October 2026.
- The win extends Malott's streak to five (8-1 UFC) and should put the 34-year-old Canadian into the welterweight top 10.
- The 13-fight card produced 12 finishes, tying the UFC record for most stoppages at a single event.
- Co-main: Jasmine Jasudavicius upset Erin Blanchfield by unanimous decision (29-28 x3); Cristian Perez scored a 27-second debut KO of Kyle Nelson.

## Key points
- Main event, Rogers Place, Edmonton: Mike Malott (15-2-1 MMA) def. Joaquin Buckley (21-9 MMA) via KO (knee and punch), 2:32 of Round 2, UFC Fight Night 291 on Paramount+.
- Malott was ranked No.11, Buckley No.8 at welterweight; Buckley had entered hoping to end a two-fight skid after losses to Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman.
- Malott entered off a third-round TKO of retiring former title challenger Gilbert Burns in the UFC Winnipeg main event in April 2026.
- Jasmine Jasudavicius (16-4) beat Erin Blanchfield (14-3) 29-28 on all three cards, derailing a potential title shot for the American.
- Cristian Perez (16-2) KO'd Kyle Nelson at 0:27 of R1; Tanner Boser (23-11-1) TKO'd Jhonata Diniz in R3 for his first UFC win since August 2023.
- Steven Koslow submitted Chad Anheliger (RNC, R3) after a 1,407-day layoff; Chelsea Chandler upset Melissa Croden (kimura, R1) as a 4-1 underdog.
- 12 finishes in 13 bouts ties the UFC single-event record, per MMA Mania's event coverage.

EDMONTON, Alberta — Canada had its night at UFC Fight Night 291, and it saved the best for last: in the main event at Rogers Place on Saturday, Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a perfectly timed knee at 2:32 of round two, sending the home crowd into delirium and announcing himself as a genuine welterweight title contender.

It was one of 12 stoppages across the 13-fight card, tying the UFC single-event record — a fitting backdrop for the promotion's return to Edmonton on Paramount+.

## The knee that changed the division

The first round was a patient chess match: Buckley took the centre and refused to touch gloves; both men landed in flashes — Malott with kicks, Buckley with counter right hands — but neither committed. MMAWeekly scored it 10-9 Buckley.

The second round changed everything. Buckley pushed into the clinch, where Malott hammered knees to the body and mixed in dirty boxing along the fence. When they separated, Buckley came inside — and Malott launched a head kick whose knee connected flush on Buckley's jaw as the American's momentum carried him forward. Buckley's mouthpiece flew, he crashed face-first to the canvas, and Malott followed with a huge right hand to end the contest.

"I want to keep representing Canada," Malott has said — and Saturday was the loudest statement yet.

## A new Canadian torch-bearer

The win extends Malott's streak to five and moves him to 8-1 in the UFC; the 34-year-old should enter the welterweight top 10 when rankings update. It caps a remarkable Canadian homecoming after April's third-round TKO of retiring former title challenger Gilbert Burns in UFC Winnipeg — consecutive headline knockouts in his home country.

His camp switch was about this kind of moment — and against an opponent who had once been closing in on a title shot, the performance was complete: measured in round one, devastating in round two.

For Buckley, a third straight loss and a painful reset. The 32-year-old, ranked No. 8, arrived hoping to snap a two-fight skid after decision losses to Brady and Usman — setbacks that had already knocked him off the contender track built with six straight wins, including stoppages of Covington and Thompson. Competitive through round one, one lapse against a patient counter-striker proved catastrophic. At 11-7 in the UFC and 21-9 overall, Buckley faces real questions about where his career goes next.

## The record-setting undercard

The main event was the exclamation point on a card that barely saw the judges: 12 of 13 bouts ended inside the distance, tying the UFC's single-event finish record.

The co-main delivered the other big story: Canada's Jasudavicius derailed Blanchfield's title ambitions with a 29-28 unanimous decision, beating the American grappler at her own game — taking her back repeatedly, locking up body triangles and finishing with a late clinch takedown.

Debutant Cristian Perez flattened Kyle Nelson just 27 seconds into round one — the night's fastest finish. Marc-Andre Barriault snapped a two-fight skid by swarming Kyle Daukaus for a first-round TKO on home soil, and Tanner Boser ended an 0-6 night for Canadians by TKO'ing Diniz in round three — his first UFC win since August 2023.

![Mike Malott celebrates victory inside the UFC Octagon](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792295915804-afeezh-mma-inside1-2026-10-18.jpg)

Further down the card, Timmy Cuamba, Mandel Nallo, Nick Galanti, Joel Faglier, Katlyn Cerminara, Steven Koslow and Chelsea Chandler all won by stoppage. Koslow's rear-naked choke of Anheliger came 1,407 days after his previous fight — his first promotional victory after a near-four-year layoff. Chandler spoiled Croden's night as a 4-1 underdog, finishing a kimura at 4:52 of round one before calling out Luana Santos.

## What it means for the welterweight picture

The welterweight division has been searching for fresh blood at the top, and Malott — 34, peaking, five straight wins with back-to-back headline finishes — fits the bill. A top-10 ranking puts him one big win from a title eliminator, and the timing could not be better for the UFC's Canadian market, which now has two genuine contenders.

Buckley's slide is equally stark: from stopping Covington and Thompson to three consecutive defeats, the former top-10 staple needs a rebuild fight — and careful matchmaking to avoid a fourth straight loss ending his contender status entirely.

![Mike Malott speaks into a UFC microphone after a fight in Edmonton](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792295918569-u8cla1-mma-inside2-2026-10-18.jpg)

## TL;DR

- Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a knee at 2:32 of Round 2 in the UFC Edmonton main event on 17 October 2026.
- The win extends Malott's streak to five (8-1 UFC) and should put the 34-year-old Canadian into the welterweight top 10.
- The 13-fight card produced 12 finishes, tying the UFC record for most stoppages at a single event.
- Co-main: Jasudavicius upset Blanchfield by unanimous decision (29-28 x3); Perez scored a 27-second debut KO of Nelson.

## Key points

- Main event, Rogers Place: Malott (15-2-1 MMA) def. Buckley (21-9 MMA) via KO (knee and punch), 2:32 of Round 2, UFC Fight Night 291 on Paramount+.
- Malott was ranked No. 11, Buckley No. 8; Buckley entered hoping to end a two-fight skid after losses to Brady and Usman.
- Malott entered off a third-round TKO of retiring Gilbert Burns in UFC Winnipeg (April 2026).
- Jasudavicius (16-4) beat Blanchfield (14-3) 29-28 on all three cards, derailing a potential title shot for the American.
- Perez (16-2) KO'd Nelson at 0:27 of R1; Boser (23-11-1) TKO'd Diniz in R3 for his first UFC win since August 2023.
- Koslow submitted Anheliger (RNC, R3) after a 1,407-day layoff; Chandler upset Croden (kimura, R1) as a 4-1 underdog.
- 12 finishes in 13 bouts ties the UFC single-event record, per MMA Mania's event coverage.

*Sources: [MMA Junkie live results](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/17/ufc-edmonton-joaquin-buckley-vs-mike-malott-live-updates-results--live/92291731007/), [MMA Junkie main-event report](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/17/ufc-edmonton-mike-malott-vs-joaquin-buckley-results-video-knockout-knee-canada-main-event/92312979007/), [MMA Weekly](https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/mike-malott-knocks-jaoquin-buckley-out-in-ufc-edmonton-main-event), [MMA Mania](https://www.mmamania.com/ufc-results/480175/ufc-edmonton-results-mike-malott-obliterates-joaquin-buckley-with-monster-head-kick-ko), [Sportradar result](https://sportradar.com/?q=773773843261784927).*


Mentions: Mike Malott, Joaquin Buckley, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Erin Blanchfield, Cristian Perez, Kyle Nelson, Marc-Andre Barriault, Tanner Boser, Steven Koslow, Chelsea Chandler, Melissa Croden, Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Kamaru Usman, UFC Fight Night 291, Rogers Place, Paramount+

## Sources
- [mmajunkie.usatoday.com](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/17/ufc-edmonton-joaquin-buckley-vs-mike-malott-live-updates-results--live/92291731007/)
- [mmajunkie.usatoday.com](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/17/ufc-edmonton-mike-malott-vs-joaquin-buckley-results-video-knockout-knee-canada-main-event/92312979007/)
- [mmaweekly.com](https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/mike-malott-knocks-jaoquin-buckley-out-in-ufc-edmonton-main-event)
- [mmamania.com](https://www.mmamania.com/ufc-results/480175/ufc-edmonton-results-mike-malott-obliterates-joaquin-buckley-with-monster-head-kick-ko)
- [sportradar.com](https://sportradar.com/?q=773773843261784927)