Verdicts Sleeper Fight of The Week: Mike Malott vs. Yohan Lainesse
This electric matchup between two dangerous strikers at Welterweight should not be missed.
A massively slept-on banger of a fight between "Proper" Mike Malott and Yohan "The White Lion" Lainesse will go down this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Krylov vs. Spann.
This fight takes place in the Welterweight (170 lbs) division.
Mike Malott has a professional record of 8-1-1 (1-0 UFC) and claims notable wins over Mickey Gall, Shimon Smotritsky, and Solomon Renfro.
Yohan Lainesse has a professional record of 9-1 (1-1 UFC) and claims significant victories over Darian Weeks, Justin Burlinson, and Evan Cutts.
Official odds for this matchup: Mike Malott -210, Yohan Lainesse + 180.
Mike Malott is coming off one of the hottest debuts of 2022, securing a first-round KO over Mickey Gall in a banger of a fight. He landed with a vicious left hook which would send Gall crashing to the mat before following up with ground-and-pound strikes to finish the show.
He earned his ticket into the UFC after submitting Shimon Smotritsky in 39 seconds on the fifth season of Dana White's Contender Series. Malott has dangerous and quick striking with an array of fast submissions and a great chin. There's a reasonable chance we'll see the two fighters trading blows left and right in this matchup.
Yohan Lainesse also carved his way into the UFC by earning a contract through Dana White's Contender Series. He took on Justin Burlinson during the fifth season and secured a first-round knockout with a brutal left hook. In his octagon debut, he took on Gabe Green. Despite earning a heavy knockdown, Green rallied, and he lost a back-and-forth fight via second-round TKO. However, "The White Lion" rebounded from this loss with a much safer performance against Darian Weeks at UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson, winning via split decision.
Lainesse is a sharp and accurate striker who can snipe fighters at a distance with his precise straights but can also hang and trade in the pocket with his powerful hooks.
This will be an entertaining and explosive fight, posing two strong Canadian strikers who love to earn a finish. The scorecards evidence this, as they've been needed just thrice between their twenty combined fights. So who do you have winning this matchup? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your prediction for this matchup in the comments below.
