Mike Malott | The Continued Adventures Of Captain Canada

While his excitement for his fellow True North talents is both wholesome and classic Canadian, it shouldn’t come as any surprise as Malott has always been a thoughtful, team-first competitor, and he truly views every Canadian on the roster as part of one big team. This weekend, the unofficial team captain will be the last to make the walk as he takes another step up in competition in an effort to further prove himself in the ultra-talented welterweight ranks.

Malott’s progression to this point has been steady and clear: a seven-fight voyage with three wins on either side of an important loss to Neil Magny at UFC 297 in a fight he was winning, but where the setback provided something far more valuable than any win could have offered.

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“Ran into an issue in that one fight I lost; stuff came up in that one and I grew a lot from it, learned to humble myself in certain ways,” offered Malott. “I know I’m an elite-level fighter, but recognizing that ‘Hey man — sometimes you’re fighting the best guys in the world and you don’t need to force a finish’ (is really important). I didn’t need to force a finish in that fight; I could have coasted to a decision and won, and looking back, that’s one of the things I changed… People love to bring that fight up, and rightfully so — that was the one fight that I showed some areas that needed growth — but I think when you zoom out and look at my career, I had a bad minute in that fight, and outside of that, I’ve fought really well my entire UFC career. Every other fight, I’ve clearly won, either by stoppage or a very clear decision, and then I dominated that fight, other than the last minute.

“I’ve had a pretty friggin’ good run so far; there is that to keep in mind.”

It’s also crucial to understand that Malott had spent a total of 16:23 in the cage in his five previous fights combined prior to facing Magny, venturing beyond the first round just one while collect five straight stoppage wins.

There simply is no substitute for experience, and learning to take the fights as they come and recognize the challenges and successes for what they have been two crucial lessons Malott has learned during what he parcels out as the second half of his UFC career to date.

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“I almost have it in two different groups right now: my first four UFC fights, including Contender Series — four really tough guys, mostly Contender Series-style guys and then Mickey Gall, and ran through those guys,” began Malott. “The last four that I’ve fought, I’ve still had really good performances, but these guys aren’t Contender Series guys who might be able to hang in the UFC; these are guys with tons of experience and are smashing those guys who might be able to make it.

 “If you’re not one of the best in the world, any of those four guys is gonna whoop somebody’s ***,” he said of Magny, Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke and Kevin Holland. “Those four are on a completely different level, and I think something to note too with the growth — and we’ve talked about this before — but we got back to that Neil Magny fight and my experience in the UFC and fighting in the last seven years before that was 15 minutes of cage time… Now, including that UFC 297 fight, went to the end of the third there, then went to a decision my next fight, second round knocked out against ‘Chuck Buffalo,’ and then went the distance against Holland. The amount of experience I’ve gotten relative to the amount of experience I had before is like I’ve tripled my fight time.

“Again, I pride myself on being a dangerous fighter, on my finishing ability, and I still have a very high finishing percentage,” reiterated Malott. “When I’m in there — I didn’t finish Holland last time, but when I’m throwing punches, I’m not throwing little tic-tac-toe punches; I’m trying to put a hole in this guy’s head and he’s a slick, slippery vet who knows how to stay safe… You grow, you move up the rankings against better and better guys who have experience against better guys, and sometimes you have to just take what’s in front of you rather than just forcing things.”

That understanding and acceptance that is the true marker that Malott is ready to step into the fray against Burns and challenge for a place in the rankings once again, because it’s not something he necessarily would have been able to articulate even in the initial aftermath of his fight with Giles in Edmonton in November 2024.

MORE UFC WINNIPEG: Mike Malott Not Pressing Fast Forward | Gilbert Burns' Greatest Hits | Mandel Nallo's Time Has Come

But now, nearly 18 months removed from the first decision win of his career and having tacked two additional victories on top of it, he knows that was the medicine he needed at the time, and the turning point in graduating from a dangerous mid-pack welterweight to someone with a legitimate chance to make a push towards the top of the division.

And as he touches down in Winnipeg, he’s feeling as prepared as possible for dealing with the challenge in front of him. 

“I’m not gonna lie: there have definitely been some moments where I’m like, ‘Alright — I’m ready to go; can we just fast forward?’” Malott said. “But the I remind myself, ‘This is a blessing and it’s all part of the journey; soak it up.’ … It’s been super-challenging, but I’ve got a really good support system around me, training partners, and I brought in several training partners for this fight. I’ve got a great team around me as is, but then bringing a bunch of guys to give me the looks I think that I need and challenge me in certain ways — man, it’s good.

“I’ve turned every stone; done everything I could possibly do to be the most prepared I’ve ever been. That mixed with the fact that I know I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got when I get in there is a really reassuring feeling. I feel ready. I’ve done everything that I need to do, I have everything that I need to have for this fight; I’m looking forward to actually getting in there.”

FULL FIGHTS: Mike Malott vs Charles Radtke | Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny

But as eager as he is to stand in the tunnel while the opening riff of Sum 41’s “Fat Lip” blows the roof off Canada Life Centre on Saturday, everything, as always, comes back around to gratitude and appreciation for the consummate pro and Canadian standout.

“At the end of the day, this is something I’ve wanted since I was 13 years old, man,” Malott said, his tone a mix of satisfaction and pride. “I’ve been dreaming of this every single day for close to 20 years — to get to make that walk — and to be in the main event is pretty special.”