Mallot knocks out Buckley and becomes the hero of UFC Canada

The UFC Canada event in the early hours of last night was the crowning of Mike Mallot (15-2-1) as a serious threat in the welterweight division. The Canadian local hero knocked out Joaquín Buckley (21-9) in the second round with a brutal knee to make a giant leap in the division and prove that he is now ready to take on the big names at 170 pounds.

Since arriving in the UFC in 2022, Mallot has amassed eight wins and one loss, but without a doubt this has been the most important and emphatic. Buckley is one of the biggest knockout artists in the division, and had only lost in this weight class to Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman. However, in the second round he was caught off guard by a head kick from the Canadian at close range that ended up turning into a knee to his jaw that put his lights out.

What's more, Jasmine Jasudavicius (16-4) also brought the local crowd to its feet after dominating Erin Blanchfield (14-3) in the co-main event and taking a giant step forward in the women's flyweight division. As if that weren't enough, the Canadian fighter achieved it by dominating the American on the ground, her strong suit.

"Spikes" introduces himself to the UFC

On the other hand, Cristian "Púas" Pérez (16-2) made a spectacular UFC debut after earning his contract on Dana White"s Contender Series a few weeks ago. The Mexican fighter will be a name to watch closely in the lightweight division, and he proved it by knocking out Kyle Nelson (17-8-1) in 27 seconds. Marc-André Barriault (18-11, 1NC) did the same to Kyle Daukaus (17-6, 1NC) in the first round, and Timmy Cuamba (11-4) spoiled the debut of Canadian Louis Jourdain (9-4) by submitting him in the second round.

Mandel Nallo (15-4, 1NC) was also able to redeem himself from his debut loss to Jai Herbert by giving the Canadian crowd another moment of joy by knocking out Nate Landwehr (18-9) with leg kicks, and with that he completed a main card where every fight but one ended in a finish.

A prelims full of finishes

As if that were not enough, the seven fights on the preliminary card also had a 100% finish rate, making it one of the best events of the year. Tanner Boser, Nick Galanti, Katlyn Chookagian, and Chelsea Chandler were some of the biggest names in the opening bouts, where there were ups and downs for the local interests.

What is clear is that Murphy's Law is still holding true, and when there is an event with low expectations, the MMA gods give us a magical evening. Now it's time to move from Canada to Abu Dhabi, where UFC 333 will take place next Saturday—the second numbered event of the month—and there will be two titles on the line and an exciting card that is expected to be historic.

Fight card results

Main card

Mike Malott defeated Joaquín Buckley by knockout (knee strike) – Round 2, 2:32

Jasmine Jasudavicius defeated Erin Blanchfield by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Cristian Pérez defeated Kyle Nelson by knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 0:27

Marc-André Barriault defeated Kyle Daukaus by technical knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:28

Timmy Cuamba defeated Louis Jourdain by submission (neck crank) – Round 2, 2:48

Mandel Nallo defeated Nate Landwehr by technical knockout (leg kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:47

Preliminary card

Tanner Boser defeated Jhonata Diniz by technical knockout (strikes) – Round 3, 4:26

Nick Galanti defeated Julien Leblanc by submission (face crank) – Round 1, 1:26

Joel Faglier defeated Javad Mahjoub by technical knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 2:11

Katlyn Cerminara defeated Mackenzie Stiller by technical knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 4:46

Steven Koslow defeated Chad Anheliger by submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:31

Chelsea Chandler defeated Melissa Croden by submission (kimura) – Round 1, 4:52

SuYoung You defeated Cody Chovancek by submission (kimura) – Round 3, 4:19