UFC Edmonton Results: Mike Malott Fouls Joaquin Buckley; Aenean Jasudavicius Lae Erin Blanchfield

One mistake was all it took for the highlight reel goal to bring Edmonton to its feet.

Fighting for the seventh straight season in his native Canada, rising heavyweight Mike Malott landed a devastating knee on Joaquin Buckley early in the second round of Saturday night’s UFC Edmonton main event at Rogers Place. There was no land, either. It was a very well-timed knee that landed a blush on Buckley’s cheek as he threw a left hand.

At the blow, Buckley’s mouth flew out of his mouth, he slipped on the canvas with his legs outstretched – and after one punch followed, referee Marc Goddard called the fight.

“I’m now the man on top of the world, this is incredible,” Malott said, booing the crowd’s response to what would be his fifth straight victory. “I asked my coaches, ‘What happened for real, right? I’m not about waking up and fighting in the morning, and I just dreamed? Is this real?’

It turns out that’s all too true, as Malott is a rising stock in the UFC’s most storied division.

He was a tough rock in the first round, as was the light dog Buckley – who was in charge of No. 10 in the UFC’s Meta welterweights ranking coming in – he shows grit and patience in landing at boxing range, doing well against Malott’s many high kicks.

But midway through the second round, Malott (15-2-1) threw a cash game as Buckley (21-9) came on the offense. Commentators called out if it was a “star-making” shot and the kind of shots that could end up in the debate for the December knock-out.

“Hey guys, I’m soft spoken, but I’m f***ing hitting hard,” Malott said as he saw the report of the knockout on the big screen.

Thanks to the UFC brass giving him a head start in his home country, Malott was asked if there was anyone he would like to call out — and as usual, he deferred.

“Come on, man, you know I don’t call people my kind,” he said. “I see a lot of dangerous guys in the top 10, but I keep fighting better and better and more dangerous guys, and my shows keep getting better. So I think it’s only going to go up.

“Someone in the top 10″ [next] at least, maybe the next five, baby, let’s go.”

With the win, Malott made his case for entry into the top 10 at 170 pounds (he entered No. 13 in the Meta rankings) and followed that up with a big TKO win over Gilbert Burns in a head-to-head spot in Winnipeg. Hailing from Burlington, Ontario, it may be difficult to deal with the talk of new UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, but he has earned the distinction of being a contender.

The 32-year-old Buckley (21-9) has now lost three fights in a row, after dropping the previous two decisions against Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman. Buckley made waves on Friday to offer Dana White permission to shake hands at the ceremony.

Before Buckley’s recent slump, he had posted an impressive streak of six straight victories.

In the co-main event of the night, dog Aenean Jasudavicius played more than a predator in his hometown against Erin Blanchfield – perhaps putting himself in the conversation for the next flying women’s title shot.

Using a strong position game and superior wrestling, Jasudavicius (16-4) swept to an early lead in what was the biggest victory of his career.

The judges scored the fight 29-28 unanimously in favor of Jasudavici.

With the win, Jasudavicius has now won seven of his last eight fights, while the 27-year-old Blanchfield (14-3) is losing just the second time in his UFC career.

UFC Edmonton results: Mike Malott fouls Joaquin Buckley; Aenean Jasudavicius lae Erin Blanchfield

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

The biggest card

Previous card

Leave a Comment Cancel reply