Vancouver, Canada — While he didn’t want to focus too much on his opponent, Adam Fugitt, ahead of UFC 289, Mike Malott is quick to set the record straight about their match-up being an easy fight for him.
Canada’s Malott was the final Canadian in action at the Rogers Arena on Saturday, with every hometown fighter picking up a win. The casual audience may not have known Fugitt, but Malott was hip to the danger he posed.
“He’s good. He’s really good. He wasn’t getting any love or attention this week, nobody was giving that guy a shot.” Malott saw things very differently. “He got thrown to a tough opponent [Michael Morales] on nine days’ notice for his debut, and he was winning that fight until he got caught, kind of gassed and got caught. And he took the fight on nine days’ notice. And then he beat like another killer in his next fight.”
The left Malott believing that “this guy isn’t the can that everyone thinks he is.” The reaction by the UFC faithful, meanwhile, was something Malott admitted, “was a little bit of pressure. I’m like ‘dude this is not a guy you just walk through. This guy’s good.'”
Still, Malott noted that he put in all the preparation, felt he could beat Fugitt everywhere, “and I felt like I beat him everywhere.”
Ahead of UFC 289, Waterdown, Ontario’s Malott barely uttered Fugitt’s name, however. “My focus wasn’t even remotely on my opponent, my focus was on myself and the process and this moment tonight. I give respect to everyone I fight, and I analyze them as much as I feel necessary, but there’s a reason I didn’t use his name, because it’s not about him.”
“I’ve never talked trash about anybody. I’ve just said how I feel, I’ve been honest, and I prefer to talk about myself, rather than other people, not to be conceited. But it’s just, I’m not talking about him. He’s a great fighter, but this was Canadian MMA’s show,” Malott continued. “I want to talk about, this was our show. This was our coming out party. This was us coming home, this was us getting to finally feel that again. And everybody showed up! Everybody showed up in the audience, the fans showed up. The fans were amazing, the fighters were amazing, everybody won!”
Watch the full UFC 289 post-fight press conference appearance by Mike Malott above.
