'We can look for a finish next time'… Mike Malott reacts to hard-fought decision win in front of home crowd at UFC Edmonton
11/03/2024 08:20 AM
'Proper' Mike Malott returned to the win column last night with a solid, if not slightly underwhelming, victory over American welterweight Trevin Giles on the main card of UFC Edmonton.
Whilst the popular Canadian was delighted to have bounced back from his shock TKO upset to Neil Magny, he did also express his disappointment about not being able to land a show-stopping finish of his own.
Mike Malott apologizes for not getting the finish in front of UFC Edmonton crowd
Last night's welterweight clash between Mike Malott and Trevin Giles certainly wasn't a barnburner with just 93 significant strikes landed over the course of their 15-minute fight.
It's actually the first-ever decision victory of Malott's career and whilst he did apologize to the crowd for not going out there with more finishing intent, explained how the night was all about getting back in the green.
"It's been a long year where I'm just like, 'Dude, I need to get a win'… Usually, I'm going for the finish a lot more, but I just needed to get back on that winning track man.
"I'm sorry I didn't get the finish tonight, you know how I am, you know I'm always looking for those knockouts and strangles… But the name of the game was just to get back on the winning track and not be greedy."
Malott out-landed Giles 59-34 on significant strikes and whilst it might have been a rather timid affair, he simply couldn't afford to make the same mistakes that he did against Magny back in January.
"We can rush the finish and screw around again or we can just get the job done and get the win – we can look for a finish next time, you know."
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What's next for 'Proper' Mike Malott is a 'proper' honeymoon celebration
The UFC welterweight division has been on fire of late, with a host of talented contenders rising through the ranks as they collectively chase champion Belal Muhammad – who recently withdrew from his UFC 310 fight with injury.
"It's a super deep division, it's a sick division," Malott stated to Full Send MMA, explaining how "It's an exciting division because you get the power of the bigger guys but the speed and technique of the smaller guys."
Regarding what's next, Malott didn't have a specific name in mind; instead revealing that he's looking forward to his re-scheduled honeymoon from earlier this year.
"Honestly, I haven't even thought about what'll come after this fight… I owe my wife a honeymoon after this one, we just got married in the summer – I told my manager that I'm getting married and shutting my phone off and I'll turn it on next week.
"He's like 'Okay, cool', I turn my phone on Monday morning, and it goes 'Here's your opponent Trevin Giles on this date' and I'm like 'Thank God, otherwise, I'd have been saying 'I do' thinking do I move my f***** head, do I bounce in-and-out… I immediately got out of the Tux and into the gloves."
Speaking via UFC News, the 11-2-1 welterweight prospect confirmed that his plan is to return to the octagon whenever the promotion next touches back down in the Great White North.
"Hopefully the UFC will come back to Canada in the Spring or Summer [next year] and we can do it then – I'd love to just be the staple Canadian, main card guy until we climb those ranks."
