Malott’s knockout, a record Canadian card and the end of UFC PPV in Canada: why UFC 336 matters
Saturday night in Edmonton was about more than one knee.
Mike Malott’s second-round knockout of Joaquin Buckley closed a UFC Fight Night card that featured a record 12 Canadian fighters, and before the night was over the promotion confirmed its next stop north of the border.
UFC 336 will take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on 30 January.
Put together, the weekend gave Canadian MMA a level of momentum it has not had for some time.
The knee that changed the welterweight conversation
Malott and Buckley spent much of the opening round kickboxing cautiously.
In the second, as Buckley stepped in, Malott adjusted on the fly and landed a perfectly timed knee to the chin, ending the fight at 2:32 of the round.
It was his fifth straight win and his eighth in nine UFC fights, taking his record to 15-2-1.
It also followed his third-round TKO of Gilbert Burns in Winnipeg in April. Both stoppages this year earned him performance bonuses.
The Ontario native wasted no time making his intentions clear.
“I’m ready to defend Canada in the octagon,” Malott told reporters after the fight, adding that fans should expect to see him in Toronto in January.
UFC president Dana White did not commit, but said the idea would make sense if Malott was healthy.
A record night for Canadian fighters
Malott was the headline, but the card itself was historic.
Twelve Canadians competed on the same UFC event, a promotional record, in front of the crowd at Rogers Place.
Twelve of the 13 fights ended inside the distance, tying the modern UFC record for finishes on a single card.
The Canadian fighters did not dominate the results across the board, but the depth of representation was notable.
Canada has become a regular UFC stop again, with events in Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg over the past three years.
That makes the next Toronto date feel less like a one-off return and more like part of a sustained push back into the market.
Toronto’s return
UFC 336 will be the promotion’s eighth visit to Toronto, a run that began with UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in April 2011.
It will be the first numbered event of 2027 and the first in the city since UFC 297 in January 2024.
That event set a record for the highest-grossing event in Scotiabank Arena history.
UFC 336 will also be the 39th UFC event held in Canada.
No fights have been officially confirmed.
A welterweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates has been widely reported as a possible headliner, but remains unconfirmed.
The bigger change: no more pay-per-view
The less flashy news may matter more to Canadian fans over time.
In 2026, numbered UFC events moved away from the traditional pay-per-view model in the United States as part of the promotion’s new agreement with Paramount.
Canada was not initially included in the same arrangement, with Sportsnet continuing as the official broadcaster and numbered cards still sold separately on pay-per-view.
That changes in 2027.
From January, Canadian Paramount+ subscribers will no longer need to buy numbered-event main cards separately on pay-per-view. All 13 marquee UFC main cards will be included in the subscription.
UFC 336 is expected to be the first numbered event main card available under the new Canadian arrangement.
For a fan base that has long been one of the promotion’s strongest international markets, removing the separate pay-per-view charge changes the economics of following the sport.
It may also make major events easier for casual viewers to access.
Why the Canadian market keeps growing
Sharing his insights into the Canadian combat sports landscape, Ziv Chen, author at Casino.com Canada, expressed the view that Canadian fans have emerged as one of the most engaged combat sports audiences in North America. He also emphasised that making major events more accessible is likely to strengthen that enthusiasm rather than dilute it.
That fits the direction of travel.
A record number of homegrown fighters, a rising contender with a clear connection to the Toronto card and a simpler way to watch numbered events give the promotion several reasons to keep investing in Canada.
The strength of the market will ultimately depend on more than one card.
But the combination of local fighters, live events and lower viewing friction gives the UFC more room to build around Canadian audiences than it had under the traditional pay-per-view model.
What comes next
Tickets for UFC 336 have not yet gone on sale, with the promotion currently asking fans to register their interest.
The card is expected to take shape over the coming weeks.
Malott says he is waiting for the call.
If it comes, Toronto may get the homecoming moment that has been building throughout his current run.
About Casino.com
Casino.com publishes operator reviews, bonus information and jurisdiction-specific gambling guides for markets including Canada. Ziv Chen is part of its editorial team and writes about casino, sports and regulated gaming markets.
19+ (18+ in some provinces). Please gamble responsibly. In Ontario, free and confidential support is available through ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600.
