Athletes
Jamie Mullarkey’s Time To Make A Run Is Now
UFC Lightweight Jamie Mullarkey Feels That He’s Entering His Prime And He’s Ready To Start His Run To The Top Of The Lightweight Division At Home In Australia At UFC 284
Only seven fighters can say that they made their Octagon debut at the biggest event in UFC history.
One of those fighters is Australia’s Jamie Mullarkey who earned Fight of the Night at UFC 243 for his battle with Brad Riddell.
That night in Melbourne was the beginning of an up and down UFC journey for Mullarkey, who is 3-3 in the UFC so far. His exciting style has made him must-see TV, and he fits in perfectly with the shark tank of high-quality fighters in the lightweight division.
How To Watch UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski In Your Country
And although his career didn’t start off the way he expected, he’s confident that he has found the recipe to put together his best year in the Octagon yet.
“Coming into my first fight I always thought I was going to steal the show and take out everything and it was going to be wins,” Mullarkey told UFC.com. “But when I got to the UFC, I had a loss and then a controversial loss, so it wasn’t what I expected to be for the start of my UFC career. The learning of that was to make sure I’m in control of what’s going to happen.
“We’ve come leaps and bounds since then.”
Although the results have been mixed, it’s evident that Mullarkey is a tough matchup for just about anyone in the lightweight division, and if he can put a few things together, he could make a real run in the rankings.
That run began with a hard-fought Fight of the Night bout with respected veteran Michael Johnson last year. An injury put Mullarkey out of business for the rest of 2022, but he used that time to really hit his stride mentally and be as prepared as possible for a massive 2023.
UFC 284 Fight By Fight Preview
That campaign begins this weekend, as he faces UFC newcomer Francisco Prado at UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski.
Originally, Mullarkey was slated to face Nasrat Haqparast, who was forced to withdraw from the bout. The change of opponent didn’t faze Mullarkey, though, as he just can’t wait to get in there and extend his win streak to two.
Jamie Mullarkey TKOs Devonte Smith | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Jamie Mullarkey TKOs Devonte Smith | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker
/
“Francisco is strong. He looks like a good young up and coming fighter. It’s going to be a good fight, for sure; he’s game and he’s tough. I just think I’m going to show that he’s not quite at this level yet,” Mullarkey said. “I’m a well-rounded fighter so I’m looking forward to showing that wherever the fight takes place, I’m better.”
UFC 284 EMBEDDED | ALL EPISODES
Mullarkey will enter the fray in front of a home crowd for the first time since his debut that night in 2019, and he expects the vibe around the RAC Arena in Perth to be even crazier than UFC 243.
“It’s going to be huge. The energy inside the building is going to be electric and I’m looking forward to it,” Mullarkey said. “It’s been a long time since fighting at home and it’ll be a real good night for the Aussies.”
With a win over UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, Mullarkey’s teammate Alexander Volkanovski can become the fifth simultaneous two-weight world champion in history.
And to do it on Australian soil – that would be a movie.
“This weekend is going to be bigger,” Mullarkey said. “Since UFC 243 we’ve had a lot more success with Australian MMA, especially in the UFC. With Alex going for ‘Champ Champ’ it’s literally history.”
MORE UFC 284: Co-Main Preview | Volkanovski = Greatness | Michael Chandler Breaks Down Main Event | Jack Della Maddalena's Résumé | Islam Makhachev's Big Year
UFC 284 is Mullarkey’s chance to start the year off with a bang and to keep the ball rolling for a full calendar year. Being able to be consistent and get three or four fights per year has always been his goal, but injuries and fight cancellations have prevented him from making it happen.
But Mullarkey has a good feeling about 2023.
“I want to have a busy year. I haven’t had three fights in a year. I’m looking to bang out four fights this year and shooting my way into the Top 10 by next year,” Mullarkey said. “It’s going to be my time because I’m reaching my peak. Timing is everything. A string of good fights this year and good performances is going to have me shooting right into the Top 10 by this time next year.”
Best Of The Australians At UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Best Of The Australians At UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski
/
Reminiscing about UFC 243 and how far he’s come since then, both as a fighter, but also personally, really puts things into perspective for Mullarkey.
He knows that one day he could be looking back at UFC 284 as the start of an incredible journey to the top of the lightweight division.
And with how things are going, he’s confident that’s exactly what he’ll be doing.
“I’m going to look back on this as my title run; that’s literally what it feels like right now,” Mullarkey said. “I know I’m a little way out, a little off that, but it feels like the start of my title run. This is going to be a special thing to look back on.”
Eyes on the prize and all systems go.
UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on February 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive all the action on UFC Fight Pass!
