The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight talents Mike Malott and Adam Fugit will go to war this weekend (Saturday, June 10, 2023) at UFC 289 inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Back in 2017, Malot moved away from active competition, focusing instead on coaching and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He was bitten by the competition bug again in 2020, and since then, he’s been flawless. “Proper” has won four straight fights since then, finishing in each of them in the first round to establish himself as one of Canada’s top prospects. Meanwhile, Fugitt is one of the rare direct beneficiaries of the regional scene, and it’s not Rivals Series. He’s split doubles from previous UFC fights, and recently scored his first win in the octagon by stopping Yusaku Kinoshita with strikes in the first round.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for every man:
Mike Malott
register: 9-1-1
Major wins: Micky Gall (UFC 273), Johan Lennis (UFC Vegas 70), Shimon Smotrytzky (Contender Series 2021)
Major losses: Hakim Dawodu (WSOF 14)
Keys to victory: Mallot is a terminator. He has held all nine of his wins inside the distance, and those stops show his evolution. Early on, Malott would win largely via knockout, but recent years have seen him finish his jiu-jitsu black belt via chokehold more often than not.
In this match, Malot should look forward to wrestling. Fujit has some bobs on his hands, but he’s a wrestler first and foremost. If he has to strike with Malot in drawn-out exchanges or bounce back, he’s going to have a really bad time.
Maintaining some distance seems to benefit Malot. A powerful kicker, Malott showed off his sharp counter punches against Gall. Since Fugitt’s chin tends to rise as he ages, kickboxing seems like a good place to be for the Canadians.
If Fugate fires, Malot should look to counter him. His jiu-jitsu is dangerous, and his years on Team Alpha Male must have got him used to fending off double-legs and finding his own opportunities in the chaos.
Adam Fugit
register: 9-3
Major wins: Yusaku Kinoshita (UFC Vegas 68), Solomon Renfro (LFA 125)
Major losses: Michael Morales (UFC 277)
Keys to victory: Fujit is an aggressive striker himself. His kickboxing is less polished, but there’s plenty of power in the Oregon native’s hands. Wrestling remains his best asset, and if he’s able to get to number one, he can do real damage.
Among the fighters, Malot is the most accurate and technical athlete. However, it is an MMA fight! Making it ugly is always a viable option, and in Fujit’s case, it’s probably his best path to victory.
Fujit should click here. Ideally, he’ll keep his chin down as he does, and some extra head motions and feints won’t hurt either. Regardless, Fujit must move forward and hit the body only for as long as necessary to set up his takedowns along the fence.
If Fujit can move forward in wrestling, he has a real chance. He’s bad from first place, and Malot hasn’t been pushed past the first round since coming back from retirement and moving up to lightweight.
minimum
This one is reserved for the benefit of the Canadian public.
Truthfully, Canadian MMA has never been running this hot inside the Octagon. It’s been a long time since Georges St-Pierre ruled the 170-pound division, and Rory MacDonald has emerged as his successor. Malott is the most promising Canadian to emerge in quite some time, so it’s only fitting that he’s been highlighted in the UFC’s first return to “The Great White North” in years.
If he wins, his star grows exponentially.
On the contrary, Fujit is the underdog here, but there is also an opportunity. Malott’s annoyance causes him to steal his luster, and Fugit almost certainly wouldn’t have gotten the main card’s pay-per-view (PPV) slot otherwise. If he wins, Fujit suddenly gets on the bodyweight map and moves forward.
At UFC 289, he will face Mike Malott and Adam Fugit. Which lightweight will stay put when the dust settles?
Remember that MMAmania.com It will provide comprehensive and explosive live coverage of the entire UFC 289 fight card herestarting early ESPN+ Online “Prelims” matches, which are set to start at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 PM ET, prior to the PPV main card’s 10 PM ET start time ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 289: “Nunes vs. Aldana” news and notes, be sure to access our extensive event archive properly here.