Athletes
JACOB MALKOUN | MAMBA MAKES HIS RETURN
After Nearly Two Years, Australian Middleweight Returns For A Hometown Assignment
Jacob Malkoun came out of his win over Andre Petroski in Atlantic City thinking it was going to be the start of a run that carried him into the mix in the middleweight division. After arriving in the UFC with limited experience, the Australian was through his seventh appearance, fresh off a victory over someone with a little seasoning of his own, and feeling like everything was coming together nicely.
“Once I beat Petroski, I thought, ‘This is my time to make my run. I’ve got the experience, now it’s time to make a name,’” said Malkoun, who steps into the fray against Torrez Finney on Saturday at UFC 325 in Sydney. “But it was ‘Naw, it’s not your time now; keep waiting, mate!’”
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It’s been almost two full years since “Mamba” got his hand raised against the Marquez MMA product, and in the time since, he’s been stuck on the sidelines dealing with back issues that occasionally left him wondering if he was going to make it back to this point.
A few weeks ago, the 30-year-old Sydneysider posted a photo of him celebrating a victory on his Instagram with the caption “4 weeks until we dance under the lights. Not supposed to be back here but I am thanks to GOD. I’m a winner and that’s what I’m going to do come February 1st;” he included the hashtag “feed the faith, starve the doubt.”
Ask anyone that has dealt with any kind of moderate to serious back issue and they’ll tell you it’s a tricky thing to contend with because getting things figured out and in proper working order isn’t as straightforward as it is with the usual assortment of body parts that get jacked up in this or any other sport. The biggest difference-maker is often patience and a willingness to just trust the process, something Malkoun admittedly struggled with in the early days.
“When the back gets injured —especially for someone who’s not patient like me, who tried to come back early and push it again, made it worse,” said Malkoun, who was booked to face Rodolfo Vieira last February, but suffered a setback and was forced to withdraw. “In the beginning, it was hard —that’s why I tried to come back early. It was frustrating, and I accepted that ‘It’s not your time yet. Be patient — your time’s gonna come, and when it does, be ready for it.’
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“The middleweight division is a hard division to fight in, so you have to be not only physically, but mentally prepared to fight with these guys because everyone is an animal; everyone is big, everyone is strong. I think the edge is gonna be in the mental, and with what I’ve been through, I don’t think anyone can stop me.
“The mind plays tricks on you, and you get some doubts, but I’ve always had that (philosophy of) feed the faith, starve the doubt,” he added, touching on the hashtag. “Marvin Hagler always said that, and it’s the truest thing. When the doubts come, you think positive, because (your opponent) is going to be having doubts too. Everyone has it, but it’s who’s mentally tough to push through and perform? The top people do it, and I think I’m a top-level athlete and I’m gonna get it done.”
As much as waiting was difficult and nearly two years out has left him chomping at the bit, the timing has worked out brilliantly for Malkoun, who gets to make his return to action at home, marking the first time that he’s fought in Australia as a member of the UFC roster.
“It feels more comfortable. It feels like I’m on the local scene again,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t need to go anywhere. Before, it’s like you’re going to war, but now I’m defending my place. ‘You come here, sir! You have all the jetlag; you have all the different food; come here so I can bash you!
“You can’t let the big show get to you and all that stuff because you’re at home, lot of people around, lot of people gonna watch,” continued the Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and longtime teammate of former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, acknowledging some of the potential pitfalls of competing close to home. “You still have to stay focused on the task, but there’s nothing better than fighting at home with everyone behind you. I can’t wait to walk out and hear the crowd go nuts.
“For me, UFC is my fight now —it feels like a normal fight; it feels how it’s supposed to feel. I feel like I’ve done a lot of work. My skill is at a very high level, one of the highest in the division. I haven’t shown it, obviously, but I’m ready. It’s just getting out there and letting it loose this fight, showing the world how good I am.”
This weekend, he’ll welcome Finney to his hometown and into the Octagon for his second UFC appearance. A three-time winner on Dana White’s Contender Series who struggled to win over the titular UFC CEO in each of his first two outings, the undefeated “Punisher” finally collected a contract with a first-round stoppage win in his second appearance on Season 8, only to revert back to his less active, more grinding form in his debut split decision win over Robert Valentin in April.
As far as Malkoun is concerned, it’s a matchup that falls heavily in his favor, and he intends to show that, definitively, on Saturday night.
“He’s a good fighter — he has one fight in the UFC, three on the Contender Series; likes to wrestle, a bit shorter, strong guy,” he said of Finney. “He doesn’t have —he’s got 11 fights, but he’s got nowhere near the experience I have. He hasn’t had much adversity in his fights, and there is gonna be a lot of adversity in my fight with him.
“I’ve seen what he’s gonna give me, but I don’t think he’s seen what I’m gonna give him.”
When you’ve been stuck on the sidelines for an extended period of time, just making it back is an accomplishment on its own; a signal that you stayed the course, continued to work for your dreams, and got yourself to a point where you can make that walk one more time. As such, simply getting out there brings a whirlwind of emotions.
And winning? That’s something even bigger.
“It’s gonna be good,” Malkoun said hesitantly about making the walk, almost a little afraid to jinx it so close to his long hiatus coming to an end. “We’re back! All this work I’ve done to get back to this point, I’m very happy I made it here. It’s gonna be a good night. Well, a good morning!
“It’s gonna feel unreal just to get back there, but I’ve been saying through that I’m a winner —winning comes easy to me —and I’m gonna show that (at UFC 325).”
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on January 31, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!