Happy to carry torch, Mike Malott eyes return at UFC's next Canada event – preferably against a veteran

LONDON – Mike Malott absolutely wants to be a part of the UFC’s next trip to Canada.

The octagon returned this past June at UFC 289 in Vancouver, where Malott capped off a perfect night for Canadian fighters with a submission of Adam Fugitt in Round 2. Malott (10-1-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) made the most of fight week, delivering memorable interviews before and after his fight. He’s willing to wait for the UFC’s next event in Canada before returning, so he coan relive the crowd roar from his home country.

“It feels amazing,” Malott told MMA Junkie. “I’ve been such a big fan of the sport for such a long time. I’ve been a fan of so many Canadian stars – obviously Georges St-Pierre but all the stars coming up, Mark Hominick, David Loiseau. There’s tons of guys I looked up to throughout my childhood and young years as an up-and-coming fighter.

“To be put in this position where I get to represent my country, and I got to be the last (Canadian) fighter on the card, having a bit of pressure of being the last guy to hold the fort down for the country, but I loved that pressure. I loved that feeling. It was absolutely incredible, so I’m really looking forward to hopefully my next fight being in Canada and getting to feel that again.”

With three finishes and back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses, Malott is ready for a step up in competition. He hopes to land a more notable name to help propel his career to the next level.

“I think what makes more sense is the latter in fighting someone who either has been ranked or has been established in the UFC,” Malott said. “I fought Mickey (Gall) – Mickey is kind of like an anomaly where he’s like a vet and kind of like a prospect. Or he was young and he came up through the UFC. My last two fights were either Contender Series or short-notice guys that are newer to the UFC.

“So, I think probably they’ll give me somebody who’s a veteran next. That would make the most sense to me where like this guy has been established, he’s beaten all the guys that are decent, but hasn’t been able to beat the elite. I think of myself as an elite, so I think I should be able to definitely run through whoever that is. But we’ll see.”