UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott Picks, Predictions and Odds October 17, 2026

UFC Fight Night Betting Preview

UFC Fight Night picks and predictions come from WagerTalk UFC handicapper Andy Lang for October 17, 2026 with the main event headlined by Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott in a welterweight fight. The main card starts up at 8:00pm ET from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada.

Are you subscribed to WagerTalk TV? If not, what are you waiting for?! Set up alerts so that you never miss an episode of your favorite shows. Drop the gloves with the Puck Time crew and swing for the fences on Total Bases. From betting tips to free picks, WagerTalk TV is your one-stop shop for streaming sports betting content.

Get Andy Lang’s PREMIUM Picks!

WagerTalk also offers Free UFC Picks all year long!

Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott: UFC Fight Night Main Event

Saturday, October 17	UFC Fight Night Betting Notes (Courtesy of Caesars)
Moneyline:	Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott
Rounds:	3.5 (Over -135 / Under +105)
Fight Time:	Main Card Starts at 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT
Arena:	Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada
TV:	Paramount+

UFC Fight Night Undercard Predictions

Erin Blanchfield (-300) vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (+240)

This is a terrible matchup for Jasmine. Her striking isn’t very good, and she relies heavily on getting fights to the ground to have success. The problem is that Blanchfield has the takedown defense to keep this standing, and she’s the significantly better striker.

I don’t see Jasmine having much success trying to wrestle Blanchfield, and if this becomes primarily a striking fight, she’s going to be badly outworked. Blanchfield is the easy pick.

Kyle Nelson (+240) vs Cristian Perez (-300)

Perez is making his UFC debut, but he already has plenty of experience and brings a well rounded skill set. He’s an exciting fighter who forces the action, throws with power, and looks to overwhelm opponents.

He can be hit, but he also lands a lot of damaging strikes himself. Nelson has been knocked out in his last two losses, which raises serious questions about his durability.

I don’t think Nelson has the striking ability or speed to keep up with Perez, and I expect this to turn into a firefight early. Under 1.5 rounds is the play, with Perez winning by finish.

Marc-Andre Barriault (+185) vs Kyle Daukaus (-225)

Barriault has lost five of his last six fights, and the decline is becoming obvious. He’s getting outworked, his speed isn’t there anymore, and he doesn’t have the wrestling or punching power to create the big moments needed to steal rounds.

Daukaus is coming off a loss himself, but he has a much more complete skill set and can be effective both striking and wrestling. Daukaus fights also have a tendency to end inside the distance, and I think that happens again here. Daukaus is the pick, and I also like the fight to go under.

Louis Jourdain (-205) vs Timmy Cuamba (+170)

Jourdain hasn’t fought in a while, and while his striking is decent, I’m not overly impressed with his overall game. I like his leg kicks, but he holds his hands low, gets complacent, and leaves himself open to getting hit.

He just doesn’t look like a particularly polished fighter. Cuamba has plenty of flaws himself, but he can strike, looks faster to me, and already has UFC experience.

He needs to increase his volume, but I think this is a matchup where he can do that. The biggest concern is Cuamba’s ground game, so keeping this fight standing will be critical. If he can do that, he’s a very live underdog. Cuamba at +170 is the pick.

Mandel Nallo (-250) vs Nate Landwehr (+220)

Landwehr is damaged goods at this point. He’s absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment throughout his career, and his durability simply isn’t there anymore. He’s been finished in three straight fights, and his style makes things even worse.

He loves getting into firefights and exchanging big shots, but he can no longer absorb the punishment that comes with fighting that way.

Nallo nearly won his UFC debut, rocking his opponent and coming close to a finish before running out of gas and getting stopped himself. He clearly has striking ability, and I don’t think Landwehr has enough left to survive those exchanges. Nallo by finish is the play.

Tanner Boser (+200) vs Jhonata Diniz (-240)

Neither guy is particularly impressive. Both can be low-volume strikers, neither is especially dynamic, and neither offers much on the ground. This looks like a pretty low-level heavyweight fight that’s likely to be decided by basic striking exchanges.

I don’t see enough separating these two fighters to justify laying -240 on Diniz. If you’re going to get involved, the only logical side is the underdog at this price. Boser at +200 is the pick, but I’m not betting this fight with my own money.

Julien Leblanc (+430) vs Nick Galanti (-600)

Leblanc is getting this opportunity because he’s Canadian and the event is taking place in Canada. He’s a polarizing personality who can sell tickets, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to compete at the UFC level.

Galanti is a very good wrestler, and I don’t see Leblanc having the tools to stop his takedowns. Once Galanti gets this fight to the ground, he should be able to establish control and work toward a finish. Leblanc simply isn’t close to being a UFC-caliber fighter. Galanti by finish is the easy pick.

Javad Mahjoub (-125) vs Joel Faglier (+105)

We’ve got two big guys who aren’t particularly technical. Faglier should have the advantage in the striking department, while Mahjoub prefers to wrestle, clinch, and fight on the inside. He’ll look to get this to the ground and turn it into a physical, grinding matchup.

I don’t expect this to be an especially exciting fight, particularly once both guys start getting tired. I think Mahjoub will have enough success with his wrestling to control stretches of the fight, but it’s not a matchup I feel strongly about. Mahjoub at -125 is the lean, but it’s not a confident pick.

Katlyn Cerminara (-260) vs Mackenzie Stiller (+210)

Cerminara has been extremely inactive, having not fought in more than two years. She’s now 37 years old and has lost two straight, so there are legitimate questions about what she has left.

She likes to use her length and jab to keep opponents at distance, occasionally mixing in clinch work against the fence. However, she’s no longer in her prime, isn’t particularly strong, and that massive layoff is a major concern.

Stiller lost on The Ultimate Fighter, but it was a close decision. She throws a decent amount of volume and will look for takedowns, although she doesn’t set them up particularly well and gets hit too often.

Neither fighter is without flaws, but I think this matchup will be much closer than the odds suggest. With Cerminara’s inactivity and age, I don’t want to lay this kind of price. Stiller at +210 is the underdog pick.

Chad Anheliger (-130) vs Steven Koslow (+110)

This is a bizarre matchup. Koslow hasn’t fought since 2022, when he was beaten soundly. He’s primarily a grappler who likes to wrestle and hunt for submissions, but we have no idea what version of him is going to show up after such a long absence.

Anheliger hasn’t fought in a couple of years either. He’s a fairly basic fighter who can do a little bit of everything without being particularly impressive in any one area.

With both guys returning from lengthy layoffs, there’s simply too much uncertainty to have confidence in either side. No bet. There’s no way I’m putting money on this fight.

Melissa Croden (-270) vs Chelsea Chandler (+220)

Chandler is an unorthodox fighter with a strange stance, sloppy technique, and poor striking defense. Her offense is average at best, although she did pull off a surprising win in her last fight, showing some power and a solid ground game.

Croden is the more complete fighter. She’s tough, has good striking, can do real damage, and has shown the ability to handle adversity.

She can also work effectively in the clinch, giving her multiple ways to win this fight. Chandler is unpredictable, but Croden is simply better in more areas. Croden is the pick.

Soo Young Yoo (+130) vs Cody Chovancek (-155)

This is a bad matchup for Yoo because he struggles with wrestling, and that’s exactly where Chovancek should have the advantage. Yoo doesn’t have the defensive grappling to consistently stop takedowns, and Chovancek should be able to exploit that weakness throughout the fight.

Yoo was submitted in his last appearance, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing happen here. Chovancek should be able to get this fight to the ground, establish control, and work toward a submission. Chovancek is the pick, with a submission finish the likely outcome.

UFC Fight Night Main Event: Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott

Buckley’s last two losses have come because he was outwrestled, but I don’t see that being a problem in this matchup. Malott has good striking, but he’s faced a relatively weak schedule, and Buckley is by far the toughest opponent he’s encountered.

Buckley should be able to land clean shots, push the pace, and force Malott to work for all five rounds. That’s important because Malott has shown cardio issues in the past.

We’re getting a great price on Buckley because he’s lost two straight, but stylistically, this is a much better matchup for him. Buckley at +123 is the pick.

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.