Overview
- The Buckley–Malott main event is set for Saturday, Oct. 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton with the full card and official weigh-ins complete and the event streaming on Paramount+.
- Joaquin Buckley arrives on a two-fight skid after decision losses to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady while Mike Malott carries a multi-fight winning run that includes a third-round TKO of Gilbert Burns.
- Buckley based his preparation at Fortis MMA in Dallas under coach Sayif Saud and worked with training partners Geoff Neal and Ryan Spann as he seeks a rebound.
- Malott has repeatedly called himself the Canadian draw, saying Buckley “would never main event in Canada without me,” and peers are split on picks with Belal Muhammad favoring Malott and Sean Brady backing Buckley.
- The matchup matters for rankings—Buckley sits around the top 10 and Malott near the top 15—and the card’s co-main of Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius adds immediate title implications in the unsettled women’s flyweight picture.