Malott insists Buckley would never headline in Canada without him ahead of UFC Edmonton

Mike Malott has dismissed Joaquin Buckley’s assertion that he holds a bigger following in Canada, declaring himself the undisputed headline attraction at UFC Edmonton on October 17 at Rogers Place in a welterweight main event that has quickly turned personal.

Buckley had claimed he feels at home in Canada and commands a larger fan base than his opponent. Malott, riding a four-fight winning streak, pushed back hard, pointing to his April main event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he stopped former UFC champion Gilbert Burns, as proof that his Canadian drawing power predates any partnership with the American.

“He’s a great fighter, Top 10 in the world for a reason, but as far as my name and notoriety in Canada, I’ve main-evented in Canada without him,” Malott told Full Send MMA. “He would never main event in Canada without me. He is in the main event because I’m the main event for this fight. We just need somebody who is in a position that I can take. He is the guy whose spot I’m going to take.”

The framing matters beyond bulletin-board material. Malott (14-2-1) enters the fight having won four consecutive bouts since his lone UFC defeat, a loss to Neil Magny in 2024. Buckley (21-8), meanwhile, arrives on the back of back-to-back losses to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady, a skid that has dented his welterweight ranking despite him still sitting inside the top ten.

For Malott, the matchup represents a calculated step up the divisional ladder. Beating a ranked opponent coming off consecutive defeats is a well-worn path toward a title shot, and the Canadian is clearly aware of the narrative value in doing it on home soil. Whether Buckley’s recent slide or Malott’s domestic momentum proves the more decisive factor will be settled when the two welterweights meet in Edmonton.