EDMONTON — Mike Malott left his fellow fighters in awe after delivering a vicious second-round knockout of Joaquin Buckley in the UFC Edmonton main event, blasting the welterweight with a highlight-reel knee that sent his mouthpiece flying and left him face-down on the canvas.
All the pressure was on Malott as he continued his quest to become the UFC's first Canadian champion since Georges St-Pierre and he rose to the occasion in emphatic fashion. The finish in the second round extends his winning run to five straight and continues to build his case for a shot at gold following a win over one-time title challenger Gilbert Burns this past April.
The MMA community was quick to react, with fighters including Burns, Tatiana Suarez, Arnold Allen and Kenny Florian expressing amazement at the brutal knockout. One pro noted his mouthpiece "flew about 20 feet" after the knee connected, while UFC featherweight Kai Kamaka struck a more sobering tone on social media, writing "Praying for Buckley" in response to Buckley's scary collapse.
The statement victory in front of a home crowd further cements Malott's momentum at welterweight, coming after Malott's second-round KO of Buckley at UFC Edmonton put him firmly in the title picture.