Canadian welterweight Malott scores first-round TKO win in UFC debut

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Canadian welterweight (Proper) Mike Malott won his UFC debut in style Saturday, knocking out American Mickey Gall in the first round on the undercard of UFC 273.

Gall was greeted by chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A" as both fighters landed early strikes. Malott wobbled Gall with a powerful right hand two minutes into the bout.

Gall took Malott down but the Canadian got back up, albeit leaking blood from his nose. But as Gall came forward, Malott connected with a right to the ear and then dropped him with a counter left to the chin and continued punching until referee Larry Folsom stepped in at 3:41.

The 30-year-old Malott, who was raised in Waterdown, Ont., but now calls Burlington home, was wrapped in the Canadian flag as his arm was raised in victory.

"I've been waiting for this moment since 2005," said Malott, referencing when he started MMA training. "I've been working toward it. I've stayed focused. And I'm just so happy that this has come to fruition.

"I was just some kid in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada with a stubborn dream of fighting in this cage with no proof that I was going to do it."

Malott (8-1-1) earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in October with a 39-second submission win.

Malott moved to Sacramento seven years ago to train with Team Alpha Male but spent most of this camp in Ontario with Niagara Top Team in St. Catharines, Ont., his training base.

Malott said he was going to donate US$10,000, half of his purse, to coach Joey Rodriguez Jr., whose 15-year-old daughter Angie has been diagnosed with cancer.

The main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena pitted featherweight champion Alexander (The Great) Volkanovski of Australia against the Korean Zombie, the No. 4 contender