Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott

💪 Buckley heads into the main event on the back of two consecutive losses—against Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady. Prior to that, the American put together an impressive six-fight win streak at welterweight, notching victories over Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington. Malott, on the other hand, is riding a four-fight winning run. In April, the Canadian scored the biggest win of his career, stopping former title challenger Gilbert Burns in the third round. Remarkably, 12 of Mike’s 14 career wins have come inside the distance, split evenly between knockouts and submissions.

Buckley’s main issue in recent outings has been his inability to effectively counter his opponents’ wrestling. Usman and Brady repeatedly took him down and neutralized his powerful striking. While Malott doesn’t possess the same elite wrestling pedigree, he’s more than capable of mixing up his stand-up with takedowns and submission attempts. The Canadian has also shown he remains dangerous deep into fights. Given his versatility and current form, there’s every reason to expect another victory here. Our pick: Mike Malott to win.