UFC welterweight star Mike Malott picked up the biggest win of his career when he knocked out Gilbert Burns at UFC Winnipeg. What’s next?
Malott improved to 7-1 inside the Octagon when he finished Burns in the third round of their UFC Winnipeg main event on Saturday night at Canada Life Centre. For Malott, this is the biggest win of his MMA career to date, as he took out the No. 11-ranked welterweight, Burns, in a devastating fashion. Burns ended up retiring after the fight, which was his fifth straight defeat.
So, what’s next for the Canadian fighter? Below, we take a look at five potential opponents for Malott in his next fight.
- Winner of Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley: Brady and Buckley meet next month at UFC 328. Both of them are ranked above Malott in the rankings, so it would be a natural next step for Malott to fight the winner of this bout later this year. If the UFC goes back to Canada later in 2026, Malott against either Brady or Buckley could headline that card.
- Loser of Belal Muhammad vs. Gabriel Bonfim: Muhammad and Bonfim collide in the main event of UFC Vegas 118 in June. This is a huge fight for Bonfim, as he gets the chance to fight a former champion and someone ranked in the top five. The winner of the Muhammad vs. Bonfim bout would likely be close to a title shot, and Malott could instead fight the loser of the bout later this year.
- Loser of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates: Della Maddalena and Prates fight in the main event of UFC Perth in May. Della Maddalena is the former champ and is currently ranked No. 1 in the weight class, so he wouldn’t be fighting Malott should he beat Prates, while a Prates win could earn him a title shot. However, the loser of this fight will be in a position to fight someone ranked below them, so Malott makes sense.
- Kamaru Usman: Usman is the former UFC welterweight champion and one of the greatest fighters in the division’s history. He beat Buckley last June at UFC Atlanta, but he has been sitting out ever since, while waiting for a big fight. Although Usman believes he should get a welterweight title shot, he likely won’t be getting that fight next. Instead, don’t be surprised if he fights an emerging contender like Malott next.
- Colby Covington: Covington is one of the biggest names in the UFC welterweight division, but he is barely clinging to a spot in the rankings as he is currently ranked No. 15 in the weight class. While many consider Covington irrelevant at this point, as he hasn’t won a fight in over four years, he is still a huge name in the weight class. Covington recently mentioned the UFC told him they wanted him to fight the winner of Malott vs. Burns, so this matchup is certainly possible if that’s indeed the case.
Mike Malott is Now a Ranked Top-15 Fighter
Malott’s win over the No. 11-ranked Burns will put him into the welterweight top 15 when the next rankings are released early this week. It is, by far, the biggest win of his career on paper, extending his current win streak to four straight fights. That includes a notable decision win over Kevin Holland in his last bout, which was also a quality victory. Save for a shocking third-round TKO loss to Neil Magny two years ago in a fight Malott was dominating before he gassed out late, Malott has been perfect inside the Octagon, finishing five opponents along the way.
Malott is One of Canada’s Best Current MMA Fighters
When the new UFC rankings come out, Malott will become one of the highest-ranked Canadian MMA fighters on the UFC roster. In addition to Malott, men’s bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi, women’s flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius, and women’s strawweight Gillian Robertson are the only top-15-ranked Canadian UFC fighters. One of them will look to join MMA legend Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Newton as the only Canadian UFC champions in the promotion’s history.
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