Charles Radtke vs. Mike Malott at UFC 315 may have 4 Nations Face-Off energy
When Canadian welterweight Mike Malott and his American opponent, Charles Radke, stand across from one another at UFC 315 in Montreal, fight fans may feel some 4 Nations Face-Off energy.
As sports fans – specifically puck heads – will recall, back in mid-February, Team Canada and Team USA wasted no time repeatedly dropping the gloves and chucking knuckles in the opening seconds of a heated 4 Nations Face-Off rivalry game in Montreal.
When Canadian welterweight Mike Malott and his American opponent, Charles Radke, stand across from one another in the centre of the cage Saturday at the same venue for their featured preliminary card matchup at UFC 315 presented by Skilled Trades College, the atmosphere could have a similar vibe.
Radtke is embracing entering enemy territory, so to speak, and pulled no punches Wednesday at UFC 315 media day and won’t be pulling any literal punches this weekend either.
-
-
Watch UFC 315 on Sportsnet+
Belal Muhammad faces Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title and women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko takes on top contender Manon Fiorot in the UFC’s anticipated return to Montreal. Watch UFC 315 on Saturday, May 10 with prelim coverage beginning 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
When asked how he’ll feel when the Canadian crowd is, in all probability, raining down boos from the rafters, the Chicago native replied sarcastically with a sly smile: “I think I’m gonna be real nervous. I’m gonna be real scared going in there.”
A subplot of that 4 Nations Face-Off tournament was that many Canadian hockey booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a form of political protest relating to the imposition of tariffs on Canada by the current American administration.
“So, I don’t give a (expletive) about hockey but what I do hold dear is – I grew up on this ranch with my grandfather who’s a sergeant major in the marine corps, so when y’all booed the national anthem, somebody’s going to have to pay for that,” Radtke said.
He added that, yes, American fans booed the Canadian anthem the following game, but noted, “that doesn’t make it right. Inevitably, I would take that to heart because growing up, I would change 50 flags going up our driveway, so ya, you’re going to see the results of that.”
Radtke, 34, got back in the win column this past November with a 51-second knockout of Matthew Semelsberger, rebounding from a technical knockout loss to Carlos Prates five months earlier.
Malott, whose younger brother Jeff Malott is a hockey pro for the Los Angeles Kings organization, is also coming off a win that followed his only loss at the UFC level.
The 33-year-old from Burlington, Ont., earned a unanimous decision over Trevin Giles in November in Edmonton.
Malott took a cautious approach in that bout since he was coming off losing in front of his home crowd, in devastating fashion, at UFC 297 in Toronto early last year. In that fight, Malott had been taking it to veteran Neil Magny, but he faded in the final round and was finished with strikes.
Radtke said he thinks Malott gave up on himself in that fight, and the American sees a mental advantage in addition to being the bigger knockout threat.
“The firepower’s the difference,” Radtke said of the style matchup. “I think Mike Malott being on the back foot is the issue. He said the bull vs. the matador type of theory, right? I don’t find myself necessarily as a bull, but if that’s what you’re going to label me as, I’ll take it. He possesses a lot of skills. Good ground game, good striking, but inevitably I just don’t think it’s enough.”
Radtke wouldn’t indulge any questions relating to what might be next for him after UFC 315.
“My life ends on Saturday,” Radtke said. “I give him all the respect. I’m not looking past him.”
Radtke also had one final message to Canadian fight fans: “Basically, (expletive) you.”
Malott is one of six Canadian fighters scheduled to compete at Saturday’s event, which is headlined by a 170-pound title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena and has a co-main event women’s flyweight championship matchup with Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot.
