The patience that has long defined Mike Malott’s mixed martial arts career finally and spectacularly paid off on Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. In front of a raucous, partisan Canadian crowd, Malott delivered a career-defining performance in the main event of UFC Edmonton, stopping veteran American contender Joaquin Buckley with a devastating knee in the second round.
The high-stakes welterweight clash was preceded by palpable hostility. Buckley notably refused to touch gloves before the opening bell, immediately establishing a tense, high-stakes atmosphere inside the arena. Recognizing the dangerous knockout power and athletic explosiveness of his opponent, neither man committed to sustained, reckless offense during a tactical opening frame. Instead, both fighters measured each other carefully, utilizing feints and range management to probe for openings.
The complexion of the bout shifted dramatically in the second round. As the pace increased, Malott seized a fraction of a second to alter the course of the division. Midways through the frame, the Canadian contender brought the arena to its feet by launching a perfectly timed, explosive knee directly to Buckley’s jaw. The impact was instantly visible, sending Buckley’s mouthpiece flying into the air as he lost consciousness mid-air.
Buckley crashed face-first onto the canvas, completely incapacitated. Malott immediately followed up with a decisive right hand before referee Jason Herzog rushed in to wave off the contest, officially bringing a halt to the action at the 2:32 mark of the second round.
With the victory, Malott improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 15-2-1, significantly strengthening his case for a coveted spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight top ten rankings. Meanwhile, Buckley fell to 21-9, halting his momentum in the division and suffering a rare, highlight-reel defeat on foreign soil.
Jasudavicius Outpoints Blanchfield to Edge Closer to Title Shot
In the co-main event, Jasmine Jasudavicius took another major step toward a flyweight title opportunity by putting on a tactical masterclass to secure a unanimous decision victory over top contender Erin Blanchfield.
Jasudavicius utilized relentless chain wrestling and superior positional control to dictate the terms of the fight through the first two frames. She repeatedly dragged Blanchfield to the mat, threatening with various submission attempts that forced the American to defend for large stretches of time. While Jasudavicius was unable to secure a definitive finish against the resilient submission specialist, her dominance on the canvas and in the clinch banked crucial scorecards.
Blanchfield (14-3) mounted a valiant rally in the third and final round, finding success with crisp, clean punches on the feet as Jasudavicius tired. However, it proved to be too little, too late. All three ringside judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Jasudavicius, who improved her impressive professional record to 16-4 and positioned herself firmly within the elite tier of the women’s flyweight division.
Quick Finishes and Grappling Masterclasses Highlight Main and Preliminary Cards
The rest of the card delivered relentless action, highlighted by a preliminary segment where every single bout ended inside the distance.
In a stunning promotional debut, Mexico’s Cristian Perez needed a mere 27 seconds to obliterate Kyle Nelson. Perez (16-2) mixed a lightning-fast knee into a furious flurry of punches that immediately dropped Nelson. Perez finished the sequence with heavy hammerfists before referee Jason Herzog intervened. The chaotic aftermath saw a visibly frustrated Nelson briefly attempt to grapple with Herzog after the stoppage, capping off a wild 17-second sequence that dropped Nelson’s record to 17-8-1.
Marc-Andre Barriault had to weather an early storm before turning the tide in his middleweight encounter against Kyle Daukaus. Daukaus quickly initiated a grappling-heavy attack, threatening Barriault in the opening minutes. However, the resilient Canadian fought his way back to his feet, landed a sharp knee in the clinch, and seized control of the action on the canvas. A sustained barrage of punches and elbows eventually forced referee Marc Goddard to step in at the 4:28 mark of the first round, dropping Daukaus to 17-6 while Barriault improved to 18-11.
Timothy Cuamba relied on a suffocating grappling-heavy strategy to dismantle Louis Jourdain. Cuamba secured multiple takedowns across the first two rounds, eventually transitioning to Jourdain’s back. After threatening with a rear-naked choke, Cuamba shifted to a tight neck crank that forced Jourdain to tap out at 2:48 of the second round, elevating Cuamba’s record to 11-4.
Mandel Nallo put on a striking clinic against Nate Landwehr in their lightweight clash. Nallo battered Landwehr with crisp boxing combinations and punishing leg kicks throughout the first round. Early in the second, another concussive leg kick swept Landwehr’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the mat. Swift follow-up punches prompted referee Luke Boutin to halt the contest at just 47 seconds of the second frame, bringing Nallo to 15-4.
Tanner Boser closed out the preliminary card in dominant fashion, overwhelming Jhonata Diniz before securing a late stoppage in the third round. Boser utilized superior wrestling and heavy top pressure to ground Diniz repeatedly. The relentless ground-and-pound eventually forced referee Jason Herzog to intervene at 4:26 of the final round, moving Boser to 23-11-1 and capping off a preliminary card defined by its absolute lack of decisions.
Earlier in the evening, middleweight prospect Nick Galanti made quick work of Julien Leblanc, securing an early takedown, working his way to the back, and forcing a tap via a face crank just 86 seconds into the bout.
In a dramatic heavyweight affair, Joel Faglier rallied from a difficult first round to stop Javad Mahjoub. Mahjoub landed heavily and frequently in the opening five minutes, but failed to put Faglier away. As Mahjoub’s gas tank emptied, Faglier turned the tide by attacking the body before overwhelming his exhausted opponent with a barrage of punches that prompted referee Marc Goddard to wave off the fight at 2:11 of the second round.
Katlyn Cerminara utilized her distinct reach advantage to keep Mackenzie Stiller at range before landing a sharp left head kick along the cage. Cerminara swarmed with follow-up punches, forcing referee Luke Boutin to step in at 4:46 of the first round.
Steven Koslow relied on superior wrestling and clean striking to control Chad Anheliger for the majority of their bantamweight encounter, eventually sinking in a rear-naked choke to force a tap at 4:31 of the third round.
Chelsea Chandler overcame adversity on the canvas, fighting off early pressure from Melissa Croden before utilizing a slick sweep from the bottom to secure a kimura. Croden attempted to fight out of the submission, but ultimately tapped at 4:52 of the opening round, bringing Chandler’s record to 8-4.
Rounding out the evening’s action, Su Young You utilized a suffocating grappling attack to dismantle the previously undefeated Cody Chovancek. You repeatedly dragged Chovancek to the canvas over three rounds before finally securing a kimura submission at 4:19 of the final frame, handing Chovancek the first loss of his professional career.
