The wonder years
Aussie fighter Malkoun enters prime of his UFC career
He might be coming off a controversial loss, but Australian fighter Jacob Malkoun is on the rebound and entering what looks to be the prime of his career.
Malkoun, still relatively young at 28, is looking to get back on track with a win this weekend against fellow rising prospect Andre Petroski.
After a dominant first round in his previous performance against Cody Brundage, ‘Mamba’ Malkoun was disqualified for illegal elbows to the back of the head.
But he still feels he was clearly the better fighter on the night.
“It was obvious where that fight was going, I was going to break him by the end,” Malkoun said.
“It was hard to take it (the loss), to be honest, but you got to man up sometimes.
“It was my own fault, but I need to look to the next thing, and now I get to smash this guy (Petroski).”
Looking toward his fight in New Jersey tomorrow, Malkoun says he is entering his prime and starting to realise his own potential.
“I’m getting more comfortable every time I step into that cage,” he said.
“Even though I’m still pretty young in my career, I have a lot of UFC experience already, and now I have to put it together.
“If I fight the way I train, I will, I’m on a different level to this guy.”
In his relatively short career, Malkoun has already experienced some of the division’s best, going three rounds with sixth-ranked middleweight Brendan Allen. Malkoun, believing he won that fight, is looking to get a rematch with Allen if all goes well this weekend. “I’m more bitter about that fight than the elbow one,” Malkoun said.
“I felt like I won, and I think I cost myself that one, I feel. So if I can get through this and maybe one more I want to get him.” Malkoun has surrounded himself with mentors in former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and light heavyweight contender Jimmy Crute.
Finding the training more difficult with Australia’s best, Malkoun knows it’s going to pay off on his rise to UFC glory.
“You want and need guys to push you,” he said. “I come to training and I’m nervous because I want to win. If you’re going to train thinking like that, it allows you to believe in yourself more.”
Malkoun is a massive advocate for Australian boxing and MMA, and hopes to catch Tim Tszyu’s world title fight after his own bout with Petroski.
Being around the sport for a while, the middleweight said Australia produced some of the best combat athletes because “Australians know how to fight”.