Mike Malott Hits the Scale and Locks in High-Stakes Edmonton Clash

Stepping on a scale is usually the most boring part of fight week, unless you happen to be a huge fan of dehydrated guys staring blankly at a wall. But for Mike Malott, officially hitting 170.5 pounds on Friday morning is the final green light for the most violent homecoming party Edmonton has seen in years.

According to Aaron Bronsteter, the Canadian welterweight hit his mark without issue, officially locking in his clash against Joaquin Buckley for Saturday night.

"Aaron Bronsteter reported Malott's official weight at 170.5 lbs."

If you have not been paying attention to Malott lately, you are missing one of the best redemption arcs in the sport. The 32-year-old is currently sitting at 14-2-1 and looking like an absolute buzzsaw.

Everyone remembers the UFC 297 disaster against Neil Magny, where Malott put on a masterclass for 14 minutes before his controller disconnected and he got finished with 15 seconds left. That is the kind of collapse that usually requires a sports psychologist and a six-month social media ban to recover from.

Instead, Malott just went back to the lab and turned into a problem. He proved it back in April at UFC Winnipeg, where he completely dismantled Gilbert Burns in a main event TKO that effectively sent the Brazilian legend into retirement.

Now he gets Buckley, who is stepping into hostile Canadian territory while trying to bounce back from an injury. The oddsmakers are clearly factoring in that layoff, with DraftKings currently listing Buckley as a +114 underdog.

That line makes sense when you look at the trajectory of both guys. Buckley has the kind of explosive power that can end a fight out of nowhere, but Malott is fighting with the quiet confidence of a guy who knows exactly how to manage the chaos.

Saturday night is going to tell us exactly where Malott stands in the welterweight hierarchy. If he handles Buckley the way he handled Burns, the UFC is going to run out of excuses to keep him away from the top-tier contenders.