Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight standouts Mike Malott vs. Joaquin Buckley will meet tonight (Saturday, October 17, 2026) at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada UFC Edmonton.
Malott is doing everything he can to fly the Canadian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) flag. Since joining the UFC roster in 2022, Malott has won seven of eight bouts, rising 15 of the best. He has now won four in a row, earning the move against Buckley, who has been slipping. Buckley enjoyed a career renaissance after first moving up to lightweight, reeling off six straight victories that included several violent knockouts. Unfortunately, his last two contests have exposed a real weakness on the canvas, and it will be up to “The New Mansa” to fill those gaps if he is ever to become a true title threat.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Malott v Buckley Betting odds
Malotti’s great strength is his versatile skill set. He is first and foremost a kickboxer, capable of landing power punches and using those punches to set up clever shift combinations. Then again, he’s also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and so far he’s been able to grapple quite effectively from the upper body.
12 of his 14 wins have come by stoppage.
In this match, the goal is to avoid a boxing round with a shorter and more powerful punch. Malott can crack too, but why make Buckley’s life easier? His opponent will struggle when forced to close the distance as he tends to sprint forward in a straight line. Malott – who is generally good at range – should try to hit his enemy and then dodge the knockback.
The Sean Brady the fight just showed Buckley trying to attack without giving up easy takedowns. If Malott pounds him with punches and remains a heavy target on the feet, he should be able to time his takedowns well if Buckley closes the distance too wildly.
Then those top-notch presentation skills can come into play.
Buckley is a physical force with interesting offensive ideas. At times, Buckley sidesteps before charging forward or using shifting body-head combos in intelligent ways. Other times, he lunges forward with the odd backhand uppercut to an opponent a foot taller than him — the reason his career accuracy percentage is so mediocre.
Still, 15 knockout wins is nothing to scoff at.
Buckley could be a much more effective fighter if he closed the distance before throwing punches. He relies too much on blitzing instead of consistent pressure. A little focus on footwork and cage cutting can mean that at least one punch of Buckley’s three-punch combination hits a direct hit. It would also make it more difficult to take him down!
Against a taller opponent likely chasing a takedown, Buckley needs to keep his base low and the best way to do that is to hit the body. Furthermore, Malotti’s only UFC loss came due to exhaustion and fatigue Neil Magnyand it’s a five-round fight. If Buckley consistently applies pressure, body shots and makes Malott work hard to wrestle, he will likely find the chin at some point.
Malott v Buckley Prediction
Despite his offense, Buckley is a deeply flawed fighter and it would be unreasonable to expect significant changes in his career over a decade. This is his 30th professional fight! What you have seen is very likely what you will get.
Can Malott take advantage of this? Between his powerful punches, slick grappling and grappling skills, he should have the tools to frustrate and ground Buckley. There’s still a chance Buckley can surpass him in raw athletic ability, but I have a feeling Malott will find his neck before that concern becomes a reality.
Prediction: Malott via submission
