UFC Edmonton Buckley v Malott Predictions
by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen
Sportz Nation - 10/16/2026
In our Fight Night Allen vs Duncan Predictions, which you can find here,
Zak went 3-3 in picks with 1 methods for 4 points.
Matt went 2-4 in picks with 0 methos for 3 points.
Points To Date:
Zak: 202 (134-80)
Matt: 177 (118-90)
*All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 10/16
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10Joaquin Buckley vs
13Mike Malott
(Malott -125)
Zak Drapeau -
This fight should be a pretty balanced war between two Welterweights JUUUUUUUST on the cusp of being real contenders and in the Top-10. Buckley had a great few years tearing up the unranked before losing to both Usman and #6 Sean Brady. Malott on the other hand is still running a streak but hasn't beaten anyone of real note besides Gilbert Burns in his retirement fight.
Buckley is younger, has a 3" reach advantage and a level-of-competition advantage over Malott as well. However, Malott has a decided grappling advantage over the kickboxing-heavy Buckley and probably has the heavier hands as well. This fight should be determined yb Malott's ability to get the fight to the ground and if he can't whether or not he opens up on Buckley with his power. In my eyes, Malott will get a takedown or two but the rest of the fight should be controlled by Buckley's boxing and eventually run to a decision win for the underdog.
Prediction: Buckley by Decision
Matt Hylen -
I think this is one of the most evenly matched main events we have had in a while, especially for a Fight Night. Joaquin Buckley is finally being given a non-grappler while Mike Malott continues to be one of the most underrated fighters in the Welterweight division.
Now, when I say non-grappler, that doesn’t mean Malott cannot grapple, because he absolutely can. However, his calling card is his power, patience, and accuracy. Malott is so good at letting fights come to him, not rushing anything while still remaining an active puncher, and landing directly where he wants to on the big punches. He is sound defensively as well, which has improved with each fight he’s had.
That being said, not many fighters in MMA have raw power like Buckley does. Malott has power, but Buckley has the gift of being able to end any fight with a single punch. Buckley isn’t very good technically or defensively, but often times against strikers that won’t matter due to his ability to get inside the pocket and explode into a big punch or kick.
I honestly think this fight could go either way. I’m interested to see the extent to which Malott wants to take the fight to the ground, or if that’s even his game plan at all. Buckley has horrific takedown defense and bottom game, so it probably should be the game plan, but I think Malott can win this one in a variety of ways. He has the home crowd behind him, has all the momentum, and fights a style that could give a explosive puncher like Buckley some problems.
Prediction: Malott by Submission
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4Erin Blanchfield vs
6Jasmine Jasudavicius
(Blanchfield -265)
Zak Drapeau -
Here we go, another huge battle between two woman fighting for a title shot. The Flyweight division is pretty set right now with Natalia Silva being recently crowned as Champion and Alexa Grasso pretty clearly in line for the next title fight, but this fight should also propel its' winner to a claim.
Both woman are relatively the same size and great examples of pure mixed martial artists. I've been a huge fan of Blanchfield since she came into the UFC at 24-years old and besides the one, Main Event loss to Manon Fiorot two years ago, has been beating everyone on her path to becoming a contender. This figth not automatically give her a title shot next but it should at least put her Top-3 and give her a claim, especially if she wins with flair.
Prediction: Blanchfield by Submission
Matt Hylen -
This is 100% a worthy Fight Night co-main event in my opinion. Of course, you have the Canadian native Jasmine Jasudavicius, but Erin Blanchfield has been in an absolute tear recently.
This should be a clinch/grapple heavy fight, but one that should excite fans. Both fighters always hunt for the finish, but will try and get to the ground by throwing hands rather than starting from the clinch. Jasudavicius does hold the advantage in the feet in my opinion, but Blanchfield is a different animal on the ground. She’s been dominating high level fighters since she was very young and has only gotten more and more consistent with her skills. I think Blanchfield could put on a grappling masterclass and make a serious case to fight Natalia Silva for the title next.
Prediction: Blanchfield by Decision
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Kyle Nelson vs
Christian Perez
(Perez -370)
Zak Drapeau -
There's no question that after the Main and Co-Main, this event DROPS OFF A CLIFF. Still though, this should be an entertaining Lightweight bout that will probably end in a finish. Christian Perez will be making his UFC debut after 2 DWCS fights which both ended in knockouts. Nelson will be in his 13th fight and his 8th fight in just over 3 years.
Nelson has bounced back in a big way over the past 3 years with a 5-2 record and only losing to Steve Garcia and T-Wrecks but Christian Perez is a heavy-handed and younger prospect looking to make a statement. Everything about this fight says Perez should take him out in the 1st round but for some reason I think I'm going with the wily veteran Nelson, who I believe gets knocked down in the 1st but comes back to win the 2nd and put him down in the 3rd.
Prediction: Nelson by TKO/KO
Matt Hylen -
As Zak said, the drop off in this card has a lot to be desired, but I think this matchup could make for a fun fight.
After a dominant TKO victory on the Contender Series, I really like Christian Perez’ game. He’s young, he’s explosive, but most importantly he is unpredictable for opponents. Kyle Nelson will show flashes sometimes, but his loss to Terrence McKinney last time out was quite brutal to watch. If Perez can explode out of the gates like McKinney did, I think Nelson could be a deer in headlights once again and get into huge trouble early on.
Prediction: Perez by TKO/KO
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Marc-Andre Barriault vs
Kyle Daukaus
(Daukaus -185)
Zak Drapeau -
So let's be honest, this fight is kind of just... there, right? Daukaus is a notable fighter for being knocked out by Bo Nickal at the White House and Barriault has been hanging around for a long time but has also lost 5 of his last 6.
The fact that Daukaus hasn't gone to a decision in his last 6 fights gives me hopes for some action but MAB doesn't exactly push the pace a lot in his fights. Still, Daukaus should be the frontrunner in this fight and has some heavy hands so I'll go with a knockout from him although it might just be wishful thinking on my part.
Prediction: Daukaus by TKO/KO
Matt Hylen -
I’m not sure why Kyle Daukaus is getting this much of a fight down in terms of level of opponent, but this should be a very simple fight for him. He holds just about every advantage there is against Marc-Andre Barriault except for being Canadian on a Canada card, which likely won’t really matter.
Despite his loss at the White House to Bo Nickel, Daukaus is a balanced and dangerous fighter with very solid finishing ability. His ground-and-pound is absolutely lethal, which is a method he should absolutely utilize against a guy like Barriault. Barriault does have good power but chin is made of glass and he won’t do much to defend it, making me believe Daukaus will walk away from this fight in dominant fashion.
Prediction: Daukaus by TKO/KO
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Tanner Boser vs
Jhonata Diniz
(Diniz -230)
Zak Drapeau -
Let's get some big boys on this card... even if they are both underachievers in the division. Jhonata Diniz still has some potential in the division after only being knocked out by both Pinto and Tybura but we also haven't seen him in over a year. Boser on the other hand is just... I don't even know he's either pretty surprising in the Octagon or a complete waste of a fighter with 11 UFC fights on his resume.
This fight will probably go the distance too with neither fighter having a reputation for being too aggressive. Diniz has more experience being in dog fights not to mention a pretty decent size advantage too so I have to go with him.
Prediction: Diniz by Decision
Matt Hylen -
This should be a fun but quick fight, regardless of who wins. Two heavyweights with horrible defense and questionable chins is always something the UFC will value highly when it comes to matchups and card placement.
If I were to choose, I think Jhonata Diniz has a bit more potential than Tanner Boser. They are both inconsistent win-loss fighters, but Diniz has shown me a few more flashes that he could be something of a UFC fighter than Boser has. I expect this to be a fight where both fighters gas out early, but with Diniz landing the strike needed to end it in round one.
Prediction: Diniz by TKO/KO
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14Melissa Croden vs
Chelsea Chandler
(Croden -330)
Zak Drapeau -
This is a great matchup between two Bantamweights that have consistently been looked over because they lose wars against some of the best in their division. Croden is on her 3rd UFC fight where she's showcased some pretty elite kickboxing and Chandler will be in her 7th fight with her only losses coming to three current Top-6 fighters.
I'd even say the winner of this fight should immediately get a Top-10 fight and the loser may deserve a ranked fight as well. For the matchup though, I think Croden will have the edge because of her grappling. Both ladies are smart and precise strikers but Croden's 2025 loss to Luana Santos made her improve her game and come back for her next fight with a clear improvement in wrestling and jiu jitsu that I think will be on display again this weekend.
Prediction: Croden by Decision
Matt Hylen -
This fight probably should’ve been higher on the card. This should be a battle between two experienced veterans of the sport who thrive in their own separate ways.
Melissa Croden definitely holds the advantage on the feet. Her usage of kicks to the legs and body are elite, setting her up for significant head strikes that can knock people down. She has KO power and will faint very effectively in order to get through with her strikes. With that said, Chandler’s submission win last time out showed me that she can absolutely win this kind of fight in the ground. I like her ability to use her striking to set up her submission game; it’s something I think could give Croden problems.
Ultimately, it’s hard to pick against Croden in this fight. She is the higher ranked opponent fighting at home, but her kickboxing could completely take away Chandler’s advantages in this fight.
Prediction: Croden by Decision
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