Mike Malott can wrestle but not like Sean Brady or Kamaru Usman. I just don’t see him winning this fight. It’s one thing to be well rounded and beat a couple of olds or inconsistent, its another thing to be in there with someone as fast, dangerous and experienced as Joaquin Buckley. I watched buckley go a full 5 rounds with Usman and even though he was being taken down late in the fight, he never stopped looking for a finish. The one time I saw Malott be taken down late in a fight, Neil Magny finished him with 15 seconds left. I actually like Mike Malott but we cannot compare these two guys, their resumes or their skills. Don’t forget, Buckley has been side questing it in RAF as well working on his wrestling. I think Buckley wins this fight by literally doing more. His movement, his speed, his ability to mix in wrestling and striking will all be too much and I think he wins a 3-2 decision.

Joaquin Buckley

Joaquin Buckley is a powerful striker with plenty of movement. He has good forward pressure and cuts angles well. We all knew he had power and offensive takedowns, but it has been solidified he doesn’t have takedown defense. He has been vocal about working on his wrestling, but the good news is, we know he has plenty of cardio cardio. He is coming off the decision loss to Sean Brady where he couldn’t keep his back off the canvas.

Mike Malott

Mike Mallot is a pretty well rounded guy. He has a very lose striking style which allows him to box and kickbox comfortably. He is technically sound and manages range well. He doesn’t have any specific background so you can expect him to strike as well as grapple and wrestle. He has 9 fights under the UFC banner with 5 knockdowns, 3 KOs and 3 submissions wins. He is coming off the elder abuse victory over Gilbert Burns where he stayed on the outside and took his time.