Australia’s Jamie Mullarkey returns to the Octagon this weekend when he takes on a surging Jalin Turner in a pivotal lightweight matchup at UFC 272, which will take place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old Mullarkey is riding a wave of success after scoring back-to-back stoppage victories over Khama Worthy and Devonte Smith at UFC 260 and UFC Vegas 38, respectively. A win for either Mullarkey or Turner will likely set them up for a future shot at a ranked opponent.
“I think that it’s a bit of a breakthrough fight for both of us. So that’s just going to make for a better fight. I know we’re both going to want it, and we are both going to go in and leave it all in there, ” Mullarkey said, talking to LowkickMMA.
Mullarkey’s UFC tenure started with a Fight of the Night bout on home soil at UFC 243, where he fought New Zealand’s Brad Riddell on three weeks’ notice. While Mullarkey didn’t get the nod from the judges, his performance drew praise from both media and fans. Even after a loss to Farès Ziam in his next outing, there was never any doubt that Mullarkey would find his groove — which he quickly did, in devastating fashion against Worth and Smith.
The Hooligan destroyed 2021
@Jamie_Mullarkey made it 2⃣ for 2⃣ this year!
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) December 29, 2021
Watch Jamie's fights back in full on
After his subsequent win over Smith — which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus — the UFC brass rewarded Mullarkey with a new five-fight contract, but don’t expect the Australian to put his feet up and pat himself on the back for a job well done. After almost a decade competing in the pro ranks, Mullarkey knows what it takes to survive in arguably the most competitive sport in the world.
“It doesn’t give me any more comfort because I know what this sport is; its blood sport. The second you get a win in, everyone is up behind you like he is doing so great. The second you get a loss, it’s the exact opposite, and everyone thinks he’s done and stuff like that.
“In saying that getting into the UFC is hard, staying in the UFC is harder. So I’m not in any way getting comfort out of that new contract. I’ve still got a lot to prove.”
Mullarkey, who earned his stripes on the competitive Australian regional scene, has observed firsthand what it takes to succeed in the UFC through his training sessions at Freestyle MMA, home to UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
“You see how hungry he is. He’s at the top; he’s like the wolf at the top of the mountain. And there’s all these other wolves climbing up it that are hungrier, but he stays so motivated he stays so driven. So I definitely take that, and I’m applying that to my own career as well.”
Mullarkey divides his time between Freestyle MMA and Central Coast MMA, where he trains under the guidance of UFC veteran Ross Pearson. A bout of Covid-19 hindered progress at the start of this camp, but once he returned to full health, it was all go for the New South Wales’ athlete.
“As far as everything else with my camp, it’s been unreal. I’ve been getting pushed every single day, like literally every single day. I’ve been getting worked, so I am going to be more than ready.”
Mullarkey is aware of the unique challenges the 6 ft 3 Turner brings to the Octagon but knows that it will be up to him to fight his own fight when the cage doors shut.
“[I] don’t get too caught up in watching my opponent because obviously, I want to fight my fight. But, we have watched some tape, we watched what he likes to do, getting the reads, getting the little tells.
“So we’ve got our tricks and our plans that we’re going to take into the fight. But yeah, I don’t get too caught up in it. I think that if you focus too much on what your opponents doing, you’re not really fighting your fight, are you?”
Mullarkey is part of the next wave of fighters to emerge from the Australasian scene, where MMA continues to grow exponentially, and he is excited about what the sport’s future looks like in the region.
“It’s insane seeing the level up even the amateurs on these fight nights that I’m going to. You can see the evolution in the sport and how fast it’s grown down here in Australia and New Zealand, we’re really just getting started,” he explains.
” I think we are just going to be shooting more and more of these high-level fighters into the big shows. so it’s exciting times.”
If Mullarkey’s past performances are anything to go by, fans should not be surprised if his bout against Turner ends up being one of the highlights of UFC 272. He already has two performance bonuses, and after this weekend, it could be three.