One of five Canadians slated to compete in Vancouver this weekend, Malott is one of those competitors who is more experienced than his 9-1-1 record suggests, and someone looking to continue making waves in the welterweight division.
The 31-year-old pressed pause on his career in early 2017, opting to focus on rounding out his game while accepting a coaching role with Team Alpha Male, where he served as a striking coach for the all-star cast at the Sacramento, CA outpost. He returned to action towards the end of 2018 with a first-round submission win over Solomon Renfro, parlaying that into an opportunity to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series, where he quickly dispatched Shimon Smotritsky to earn a UFC contract.
In each of his first two appearances inside the Octagon, Malott has wasted little time earning victories, posting a first-round stoppage win over Mickey Gall in his debut at UFC 273 before submitting fellow Canadian Yohan Lainesse in the opening frame earlier this year to run his overall winning streak to five.
Saturday night, Malott makes his pay-per-view main card debut in a clash with Washington state product Adam Fugitt that could further establish him as an all-action talent to watch in the 170-pound ranks going forward.
Fugitt dropped his short-notice promotional debut in a competitive bout with Michael Morales last summer at UFC 277 in Dallas before posting a first-round stoppage win over Yusaku Kinoshita at the start of February. Like Malott, he faced quality competition on his way to the Octagon, including the aforementioned Renfro, and profiles as a dangerous and willing dance partner for the Canadian this weekend.
It’s difficult to get a full read on where Malott fits in the division, at the moment, as he’s made quick work of each of his first two UFC opponents and has earned each of his nine career wins in the opening round. This weekend’s pairing with Fugitt may not provide complete clarity on where the Ontario native stands in the hierarchy, but if he picks up another first-round finish, it will make him look like even more of an intriguing dark horse heading into the back half of the year.
