BUCKLEY SNUBS DANA WHITE AS MALOTT GETS HOMETOWN CALL IN EDMONTON
No handshake. No words. Buckley blanked Dana White and Mike Malott at Friday's face-offs — and tonight he has five rounds to back it up in Edmonton.
Joaquin Buckley refused to shake Dana White's hand. Then he refused Mike Malott's too. Then he stared through a UFC interview without saying a word.
That was Friday in Edmonton. Tonight, he fights.
Buckley (21-8) meets Malott (14-2-1) in the five-round welterweight main event of UFC Fight Night 291 at Rogers Place — and the bad blood is real. When White extended his hand at the ceremonial face-offs, Buckley left him hanging, eyes locked on Malott. Malott offered his own handshake. Same result. Backstage, Buckley stood in stone silence while UFC correspondent McKenzie Pavacich asked her questions into the void.
The snub has roots. Malott, for his part, downplayed the whole thing to Full Send MMA: an opponent's behavior doesn't change the fight.
But the fight itself is the story. Buckley, ranked No. 10, is on a two-fight skid after losses to Sean Brady at UFC 328 in May and Kamaru Usman — a steep fall from the six-fight tear (May 2023 to December 2024) that rebuilt his career at 170, capped by the Colby Covington win. Malott, No. 13, is rolling: four straight wins, seven of eight since joining the UFC in 2022, including victories over Kevin Holland and a knockout of former title challenger Gilbert Burns in April.
The books can't split them. Malott is a narrow -135 favorite to Buckley's +114 on DraftKings — yet 77 percent of the handle and 68 percent of bets are on the underdog.
The co-main carries real stakes too: No. 4 Erin Blanchfield (14-2-1) faces No. 6 Jasmine Jasudavicius in a women's flyweight contender bout. Blanchfield has won 11 of 12, beating Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez since her March 2024 loss to Manon Fiorot. Jasudavicius is 6-1 in her last seven, most recently defeating Karine Silva in April.
And the building will be loud. 12 Canadians are on the card, with Canada represented in 12 of 13 fights. It's the UFC's fourth trip to Edmonton, the first since November 2024.
Prelims start 5 PM ET, main card 8 PM ET on Paramount+. Buckley already made his statement without saying a word. Tonight he has five rounds to back it up.
