Mike Malott is looking to establish himself as Canada’s next big star as he takes on top-10 welterweight Joaquin Buckley.
The event will take place on Saturday October 17 at Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The fights will begin at 5 PM ET with the Early Preliminary Card, followed by the Preliminary Card at 7 PM ET and the Main Card at 9PM ET.
Our article will give you our two best bets for the main event, as well as the current moneyline odds for UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott.
UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott: betting picks and predictions
Joaquin Buckley to win by KO, TKO or DQ (+200)
Joaquin Buckley (21-8-0) faces Mike Malott (14-2-1) in what is an important match-up for both athletes in terms of the rankings.
Buckley arrives following back-to-back decision defeats to elite grapplers Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman.
Those losses interrupted a six-fight winning streak for the 32-year-old since moving back to welterweight.
Buckley racked up some notable wins in the 170lb division, including a TKO stoppage of Colby Covington, as well as finishing both Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Vicente Luque.
Malott has quickly become the face of Canadian MMA with his last six fights all taking place on home turf where he has racked up a 5-1 record, including four straight victories since a 2024 defeat to Neil Magny.
That run has included wins over Gilbert Burns (R3 TKO), Kevin Holland (UD), Charles Radtke (R2 KO) and Trevin Giles (UD).
Best known for his striking, Buckley has a 73 percent KO/TKO rate from his UFC wins, with eight stoppage victories in total.
While Malott was a long-time striking coach at Team Alpha Male, he lacks the same one punch power as his opponent, although he has scored three KO/TKO victories from his seven UFC wins.
Despite being shorter, Buckley has the longer listed reach by three inches and his low centre of gravity style could cause issues for Malott, who has not yet proved he can sustain a significant enough wrestling approach that Usman and Brady used to trouble Buckley.
If the Canadian can't keep him down, or significantly at range, Buckley is likely to bring too much forward pressure and eventually walk him down.
Under 3.5 rounds (+100)
Buckley is a southpaw who brings explosive and aggressive boxing.
The 32-year-old throws heavy combinations and has explosive entries and will be keen to prove a point in a more favourable stylistic match-up than his last two bookings.
Buckley does leave some defensive openings though as he rushes in, which does offer the opportunity for counters or takedowns should Malott be able to land them.
Buckley has never been submitted even against top-level grapplers, but has been exploited on the feet in stoppage defeats to the likes of Chris Curtis and Kevin Holland.
Malott has a good fight IQ and while his gas tank was questionable in his defeat to Magny, he has looked on point since, particularly when finishing Gilbert Burns last time out.
Buckley is the pick to end this within 3.5 rounds but Malott is capable of landing something of his own, particularly in front of his home crowd.
UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott odds
Joaquin Buckley | Mike Malott | |
Moneyline | +105 | -125 |
By Decision or Technical Decision | +500 | +280 |
By KO, TKO or DQ | +200 | +350 |
By Submission | +2000 | +550 |
Total Rounds | Over | Under |
1.5 | -450 | +320 |
2.5 | -220 | +170 |
3.5 | -130 | +100 |
4.5 | +120 | -150 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
