UFC Edmonton: Joaquin Buckley Snubs Dana White, Renato Moicano’s Viral Hotel Betrayal & Fight Week Chaos

Things got chaotic in Edmonton ahead of the UFC fight on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Between Joaquin Buckley completely freezing out Mike Malott and Dana White, to Renato Moicano getting brutally ditched by a fan for Ryan Garcia, the real story at Rogers Place is happening off the official fight card.

Welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley made his intentions clear during Friday’s ceremonial face-offs, refusing every traditional gesture of sportsmanship. When Canadian rival Mike Malott stepped up and offered an opening handshake, Buckley stared straight through him in dead silence.

UFC CEO Dana White stepped between the fighters to facilitate the face-off, reaching out his own hand toward Buckley.

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JOAQUIN BUCKLEY IS LOCKED IN He didn’t say a single word during this interview 👀 https://t.co/6wYFyfnYA6

Buckley walked past the UFC boss, leaving White visibly baffled on live camera as he exchanged bewildered looks with matchmakers.

The icy tension carried over into Buckley’s official backstage interview with UFC correspondent McKenzie Pavacich, where he refused to utter a single word, standing in total silence and locking into a cold stare until the interview was awkwardly cut short.

From the source Joaquin Buckley was LOCKED IN during the final face off with Mike Malott He ignored Dana White’s handshake 😭 #UFCEdmonton https://t.co/J3nMFnL9Bh

This sharp standoff is not random bravado; it comes from friction earlier this year when Buckley sought a crossover boxing fight against champion Terence Crawford. White publicly mocked the matchup idea, leaving Buckley feeling undervalued despite providing some of the promotion’s most viral knockout highlights.

Heading into Saturday’s main event against Malott, Buckley appears to be converting that perceived promotional disrespect into focus and aggression.

Away from the ceremonial stage, lightweight fan-favourite Renato Moicano suffered a hilarious moment of disrespect inside the fighter hotel. A young fan walked right up to Moicano in the lobby and politely asked for a photograph together.

Right as Moicano posed for the camera, boxing superstar Ryan Garcia strolled through the lobby. The kid immediately abandoned Moicano mid-photo and sprinted away to chase down Garcia instead.

Kid asked UFC fighter Renato Moicano for a picture then ditched him after spotting Ryan Garcia 😭😭 https://t.co/TgJpil0aKh

Moicano took the instant betrayal in stride, later poking fun at the viral video across social media after being brutally ditched on camera.

“You naughty little rascal… I’m gonna root for your dad to go out for cigarettes and never come back kkkkk,” said the Brazilian on X.