With one of the best knockouts of 2026, a Canadian UFC fighter with strong ties to Burlington scored one of the biggest victories of his career Saturday night.

Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Oct. 17.

Malott finished Buckley at 2:32 of the second round of the welterweight bout, landing a powerful step-in knee that dropped the No. 10-ranked contender. The victory came with Malott entering the fight ranked No. 13 in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings.

While Malott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, he has long represented Canada during his mixed martial arts career and has deep roots in the Burlington and Waterdown area.

The UFC describes Malott as a Waterdown, Ontario native and promoted him as a Canadian fighter heading into Saturday night’s main event. Malott has also been associated with Burlington throughout his career, although the UFC currently lists him as fighting out of Fonthill, Ontario.

Saturday’s victory could prove to be a major step forward in Malott’s pursuit of a UFC title shot.

Before the fight, Malott said a victory over Buckley should put him comfortably inside the top 10 of the welterweight division. Buckley entered the matchup ranked three spots ahead of Malott.

Malott also picked up some extra cash for the spectacular finish.

The UFC awarded the Canadian a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his knockout of Buckley, describing it as the biggest victory of his career.

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It was Malott’s fifth consecutive victory and continued an impressive run for the Canadian inside the Octagon.

Malott earned his UFC opportunity through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 before making his UFC debut the following year.

His victory was also the finishing touch on a historic night in Edmonton.

The UFC said the event produced 12 finishes, tying the modern UFC record. A crowd of 16,903 attended the event at Rogers Place, which generated a reported $2.2 million in gross revenue.

Malott entered Saturday night’s fight looking to establish himself among the UFC’s top welterweights.

After knocking out a top-10 opponent in a main event on Canadian soil, the fighter with deep Burlington and Waterdown connections appears to have taken a significant step toward that goal.


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