Joaquin Buckley is set to meet Mike Malott in the UFC Edmonton main event this weekend, giving the Top 15 welterweight another high-profile chance to protect his spot in the division.
The matchup carries real stakes for Buckley, who entered his welterweight run with six straight wins before dropping consecutive bouts. A win in Edmonton would help him steady that momentum and keep him positioned among the division’s rising names.
Malott brings his own buzz into the headliner. The Canadian standout has won four straight, and his run includes a third-round stoppage of Gilbert Burns in April in his first UFC main event. That victory helped establish him as one of the top local attractions on the card and as the leader of the Maple Leaf Militia.
UFC Edmonton also gives Malott a familiar setting. Two years ago, he began his four-fight winning streak at Rogers Place, and he now returns to Alberta with a chance to add another major result in front of a Canadian crowd.
What else is on the card
The main event is not the only notable fight on the slate. The card also features a co-main event between Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius, adding more relevance to a lineup that already has several meaningful storylines attached to it.
Jasudavicius enters after a strong recent stretch of her own. In April, she defeated Karine Silva by decision after last October’s loss to Manon Fiorot, while the matchup with Blanchfield gives the card another bout with clear implications.
For Buckley, though, the focus is straightforward. He is fighting to defend his place in the Top 15, while Malott is trying to turn home-country momentum into the biggest win of his UFC run so far. That combination should make UFC Edmonton’s main event one of the most important welterweight fights on the calendar this weekend.
