Mike Malotts Clean Knee KO Sparks Fluke Debate After Joaquin Buckley Put

yahoo sports mma |  

Mike Malott needed only one clean opening to turn Joaquin Buckley’s aggression into a highlight-reel disaster at UFC Fight Night 291 in Edmonton.

A perfectly timed right knee caught Buckley flush on the jaw as he ducked into range, sending his mouthpiece flying and leaving him flat on the canvas at 2:32 of Round 2. The Canadian welterweight’s fifth straight win was as violent as it was sudden, and some MMA fans were immediately split on what they had just witnessed.

Buckley’s Pre-Fight Gamble

Buckley had spent fight week projecting confidence. He refused to shake hands with both Malott and UFC CEO Dana White at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, and refused to answer questions during his interview. His unusually cold approach to media obligations became the story before the fight.

His demeanor during fight week was widely circulated on social media, with fans warning Buckley that such bravado would age poorly if he lost.

Unfortunately for Buckley, fans correctly predicted the loss.

Buckley came forward in the second round, dipped low while throwing a straight left, and Malott’s knee met him square on the jaw. The impact was so clean that referee Marc Goddard stepped in after a single follow-up punch.

Fans Argue KO was a “Fluke”

The debate began almost immediately on forums and social media. One camp argued that Buckley essentially ran face-first into a knee that Malott was throwing as part of a broader kicking motion, making the result more about Buckley’s mistake than Malott’s precision.

A Sherdog forum poster bluntly summarized, “Mike absolutely was throwing a body kick. Still an awesome finish. But be honest people, you know that was a fluke.”

Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images

The claim that Malott was throwing a kick rather than a knee has circulated among fans, but his knee clearly made impact despite him throwing what seemed like a roundhouse kick.

The other camp, which I include myself in, rejects the framing of the strike as a “fluke” entirely.

The timing required to catch a moving opponent with a knee to the jaw still takes incredible skill, dexterity, and split-second decision making that elite fighters possess. Anyone who has sparred or competed in a combat sport that involves kicks knows that sometimes a knee makes contact rather than the shin or instep.

By the Sherdog forum poster’s logic, any punch that a targeted opponent moves into is also a fluke, which is a ridiculous statement. Either that person has never trained before, or has no basic knowledge of how striking sports work.

Many compared Malott’s strike to Marlon Moraes’ famous knee knockout of Aljamain Sterling. Even when a fighter intends a kick, the resulting knee can be a legitimate and devastating strike.

What’s Next For Malott and Buckley?

Buckley entered on a two-fight losing streak and needed a win to halt his slide. Instead, he absorbed his third straight defeat and first knockout loss in nearly four years.

Malott, ranked No. 13 at welterweight, likely vaults into the top 10 after the performance.

Dana White’s reaction during the post-fight press conference was unambiguous regarding the main event.

“For Mike to be the main event in his home country, that’s the way you want to get it done,” White said. “You couldn’t do it any better than that.”

White also joked about Buckley’s pre-fight approach.

“Well, as soon as he lost, I told Hunter [Campbell], ‘Cut him,'” White said with a deadpan delivery. He then chuckled and said, “I’m f— joking. I have no problem with Joaquin Buckley.”

More MMA News

This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.