At UFC Vegas 70, light heavyweights Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann will be the headliners. That same night Mike Malott vs Yohan Lainesse will be the second fight on the main card. The welterweight bout follows the lightweight opening fight between Erick Gonzalez and Trevor Peek.
Mike Malott and Yohan Lainesse came up from Dana White’s Contender Series. However, it is neither fighter’s UFC debut as they both have prior experience fighting in the Octagon. Several fighters from the Contender Series are coming up and fighting on UFC events’ cards, attempting to replicate the success of Sean O’Malley or Kevin Holland.
Mike Malott KOs Mickey Gall in his UFC debut pic.twitter.com/fgE9cHAbmN
— Casual MMA (@CasualMMAinc) February 20, 2023
Malott is 2-0 in his fights under the UFC banner, including the Contender Series. His first win came against Shimon Smotritsky in 2021 on DWCS. And his second was an impressive first-round finish against CM Punk’s former opponent, Mickey Gall. Malott fights out of the famed Team Alpha Male gym where Urijah Faber is a coach.
His opponent, Yohan Lainesse has a little more experience in the UFC. Lainesse won his fight on the Contender Series against Justin Burlinson in the first round. That impressive finish was rewarded with a UFC contract but Lainesse followed it up with a loss against Gabe Green. However, he successfully rebounded and beat Darian Weeks at UFC 279.
Malott vs Lainesse: head-to-head stats
Stats | Mike Malott | Yohan Laniesse |
---|---|---|
Wins | 8 | 9 |
Losses | 1 | 1 |
Height | 185 cm | 185 cm |
Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
Reach | 185 cm | 193 cm |
Age | 31 | 30 |
Mike Malott vs Yohan Laniesse: Fight breakdown and prediction
Both fighters have shown a passable level of well-roundedness in their MMA games in their brief UFC careers. However, there are some statistics which are telling of how this fight may go between the two welterweights. But even so, this fight won’t be easy for either man.
Lainesse holds a 3-inch reach advantage over his UFC Vegas 70 opponent. However, Malott is the more accomplished striker of the two. He lands around five significant strikes per minute on average compared to Lainesse’s 2.69. And he absorbs only 0.5 more strikes than his opponent who averages around 3 and a half significant strikes absorbed per min.
Lainesse has the edge in terms of defensive grappling, boasting an impressive takedown defense of 88%. Mike Malott has not had his takedown defense tested yet in his short UFC career. However, he lands more takedowns every 15 minutes than Lainesse.
Ultimately, Malott is a slight favorite to win this matchup. Even so, it isn’t like he has this in the bag from the get-go. His opponent, Lainesse, is a dangerous fighter who will also have the reach advantage over him Malott. But Malott has more tools in his arsenal so if he can use his fight IQ well, he should win at UFC Vegas 70.
Prediction: Mike Malott wins vs Yohan Lainesse via decision.