Jasudavicius, Malott win for Canada at UFC Edmonton

Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius beat Erin Blanchfield by unanimous decision and Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a second-round knee in the top two fights at UFC Edmonton on Saturday, Yahoo Sports and MMA Mania reported.

All three judges scored the women’s flyweight co-main event 29-28 for Jasudavicius, who entered as the underdog at Rogers Place, Yahoo reported. Her name drew more than 20,000 searches in Canada on Saturday, according to Google Trends.

Jasudavicius (16-4) used her grappling and ground game to build an early lead, and Blanchfield took the final round, according to reports. The win was the biggest of her career and her seventh in eight fights, Yahoo said, while Blanchfield (14-3) lost for just the second time in the UFC. In her post-fight interview, Jasudavicius asked for a rematch with flyweight champion Natalia Silva, MMA outlets reported, and UFC president Dana White praised her performance, according to Heavy.

In the main event, Malott, from Burlington, Ont., ended the welterweight bout at 2:32 of the second round, landing a knee flush on Buckley’s jaw as Buckley threw a left hand, then following with a single punch before referee Marc Goddard stopped it, Yahoo reported. It was Malott’s fifth straight win and his seventh straight fight in Canada.

“I’m on top of the world right now man, this is incredible,” Malott said in the cage. Asked whether he wanted to call anyone out, he declined. “Somebody in the top 10 at the very least, maybe top five next,” he said.

Malott (15-2-1) was ranked 13th in the division coming in, Yahoo said. Buckley (21-9) has lost three straight, after decisions against Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman.

Other Canadians also won on the main card. Quebec’s Marc-André Barriault stopped Kyle Daukaus with elbows at 4:28 of the first round, Mandel Nallo beat Nate Landwehr by second-round TKO, and Edmonton heavyweight Tanner Boser stopped Jhonata Diniz in the third round on the preliminary card, according to Yahoo’s full results. Cody Chovancek, added to the card in September, lost to SuYoung You by third-round submission.

A record 12 Canadians competed on the card, Sportsnet reported. During the broadcast, the UFC announced it will return to Toronto for UFC 336 at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 30. The week leading up to the event drew attention for middleweight champion Sean Strickland’s remarks about downtown Edmonton.

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Sources: Yahoo Sports (Uncrowned); MMA Mania; Heavy; Sportsnet; Google Trends Canada.