Mike Malott made the most of his first impression at UFC 273.
The octagon rookie capped off his debut with a stunning left-hook that planted Mickey Gall face first on the canvas in brutal fashion at just 3:41 in the first round. Afterwards, Malott admitted it’s been a long time coming for him to finally compete in the UFC but he certainly has a lot to celebrate now.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment since 2005,” Malott said. “I’ve stayed focused and I’m just so happy that this has come to fruition. It’s pretty surreal.
“This guy’s a veteran. I remember being jealous of Mickey when he got signed like why can’t it be me? It was an honor to share the cage with him tonight.”
There was no feeling out process from the welterweights as both were swinging with heavy leather from the very first exchange with Malott and Gall both landing big shots.
While Malott was definitely landing on target, Gall wasn’t going away because he cracked the Canadian with a stiff shot that actually busted his nose and left blood dribbling down his face.
Undeterred, Malott just kept throwing bombs while Gall was struggling with his head movement, which left the New Jersey native open for the precise punches coming from his opponent.
Malott eventually made him pay dearly for those defensive woes by connecting with the left that put Gall down and out as he crashed to the canvas in a heap. To his credit, Gall didn’t go completely unconscious but after he ate a few more shots on the ground, the referee couldn’t allow him to continue with the fight being stopped.
Following his win, Malott promised to donate his $10,000 show money to a friend’s daughter, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
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