Edmonton gave the judges one fight to score. The other twelve ended inside the distance, with Mike Malott providing the spectacular closing act and Jasmine Jasudavicius delivering arguably the most significant performance of the night. A card packed with Canadian fighters finished with two of them making serious progress towards the top of their divisions.

MALOTT PUTS BUCKLEY OUT

The finish will dominate the highlights, but Malott’s patience deserves attention too. Buckley took the centre and tried to pressure him through a relatively restrained opening round. Malott worked with kicks, picked his moments to punch and avoided being dragged into a frantic exchange. When Buckley closed into the clinch in the second, Malott made him work there as well, landing knees to the body before they separated. At 2:32 of the round, another knee ended the fight.

Buckley stepped in as Malott threw his kick, bringing his chin directly into the path of the knee. His mouthpiece went flying and he fell face-first. The important detail was the timing: Malott caught him coming forward rather than chasing an opening and overcommitting himself. Against a puncher that explosive, holding position and making the entry dangerous was excellent work.

That makes five consecutive wins for Malott and gives him a compelling case for another step up. There is no need to rush straight into title talk, but he has earned a serious opponent from the upper end of the division. Buckley, meanwhile, has now lost three in a row. After the decision defeats against Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady, being knocked out by Malott leaves him needing to rebuild momentum rather than argue for another fight upwards.

JASUDAVICIUS BEATS BLANCHFIELD AT HER OWN GAME

On a night full of stoppages, the only decision was anything but forgettable. Jasmine Jasudavicius beat Erin Blanchfield 29-28 on all three scorecards, taking the opening two rounds before Blanchfield won the third. Those scores accurately reflect a fight in which the Canadian established a lead and made Blanchfield chase it.

Jasudavicius repeatedly took Blanchfield down, advanced to her back and threatened the finish. Blanchfield’s submission defence kept her alive, but too much of her grappling was spent escaping trouble rather than creating any. Her stronger final round could not undo the first ten minutes.

The distinction between surviving a position and winning it was particularly clear here. Blanchfield deserves credit for staying composed under threat, but Jasudavicius was the fighter imposing her game. Against such a highly regarded grappler, that is a substantial achievement. It also makes her request for a title opportunity credible rather than merely an obligatory post-fight callout. She has now won seven of her last eight and wants another shot at Natalia Silva.

BARRIAULT MAKES DAUKAUS PAY UP CLOSE

Kyle Daukaus had Marc-Andre Barriault in genuine trouble early. He secured the takedown, advanced through dominant positions and attached himself to the back. Barriault had to defend before he could think about doing anything else. Once he forced his way upright, however, Daukaus remained attached in the clinch and began taking the punishment himself. Knees and elbows changed the fight, and Barriault followed him down to secure the first-round stoppage.

The costly mistake was treating continued contact as continued control. Daukaus had been winning the grappling, but staying close after Barriault stood up left him exposed to the Canadian’s strongest offence. Barriault did not need much space to hurt him. His comeback was a reminder that a successful takedown is only part of the job: what happens during the stand-up can undo everything earned beforehand.

NALLO TAKES LANDWEHR APART

Mandel Nallo’s win over Nate Landwehr was uncomfortable viewing. His jab established the distance, his right hand kept finding the target and his calf kicks steadily wrecked Landwehr’s ability to stand and advance. Landwehr was trying to force his way into a fight while losing the physical means to do it. Nallo never needed to give him the brawl he wanted.

The stoppage came just 47 seconds into the second round. For Nallo, it was an emphatic performance built around range and accurate offence. For Landwehr, a fourth consecutive stoppage defeat is a grim sequence. The move to lightweight has not delivered the reset he needed, and another punishing loss should not be brushed aside simply because he has always been willing to fight through damage.

Cristian Perez supplied the main card’s quickest finish, knocking out Kyle Nelson in just 27 seconds on his UFC debut. He opened with an attempted Imanari roll, then switched to a barrage of punches that overwhelmed Nelson. Timmy Cuamba took a more sustained route against Louis Jourdain, connecting his boxing to takedowns and making the Canadian work underneath him. Cuamba’s second-round neck crank completed a convincing performance and gave Jourdain a rough introduction to the UFC.

FAGLIER SURVIVES, BOSER FINDS THE ANSWER

Joel Faglier’s debut looked close to ending badly several times in the opening round against Javad Mahjoub. He was repeatedly hurt and forced to survive, but Mahjoub spent heavily trying to finish him. By the second round, the fight had turned completely. Faglier was still capable of working; Mahjoub was exhausted and increasingly unable to defend himself. Attacks to the body helped expose that fatigue before Faglier secured the stoppage.

It was extraordinary resilience, although nobody should confuse taking that much punishment with a sustainable game plan. Faglier earned his opportunity by refusing to disappear when the fight was going against him. Afterwards, he dedicated the victory to his late son, Joel Jr., adding a deeply personal moment to a debut that had already demanded an enormous amount from him.

Tanner Boser found a less chaotic solution against Jhonata Diniz. Rather than continue a difficult striking match, he took Diniz down and repeatedly established damaging top positions, including the crucifix. Diniz could not produce an effective escape, and Boser kept returning to the same weakness. The third-round TKO was a deserved reward for recognising where the fight could be won and staying there.

EDGE GAMES: ELSIE TAKES EDMONTON

Elsie won this week’s Edge Games with 32 points, finding nine of the thirteen winners and landing five perfect winner-and-method calls. That was enough for a five-point winning margin over Obiwan Kentucky, with MTomps completing the podium on 25.

The Model finished fifth with 22 points and 6/13 winners, while Fred finished seventh with 19 points and 5/13 winners. A rough card for both, and an excellent one from Elsie.

Next up is UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev, live from Abu Dhabi on 24 October. Edmonton has given it a tough act to follow.