Houston, TX — Jacob Malkoun went the distance with Contender Series winner A.J. Dobson on Saturday at UFC 271, earning his second straight victory inside the octagon.
The win for Australia’s Malkoun (6-1) spoiled Dobson’s promotional debut, and improved Malkoun to 2-1 on the big stage.
“It was a hard fight. Obviously I had to adjust a little bit,” Malkoun noted following the bout, admitting that he’d been “caught in the first round. But got the job done, and we’ve just got to keep building from here.”
The fight was a vocal one, with the middleweights jawing back and forth at times, noticeably while Malkoun was in top position. “I don’t remember how it started to be honest, whether he started it or I started it, but we were talking about something. I didn’t realize, I was just talking, then elbowing him after.”
From what he remembers, Malkoun was telling his opponent that “‘I’m stronger than you thought.’ People don’t think I’m strong, but I think I’ve got some farmer strength.”
Asked if he expected more from Dobson, Malkoun replied saying “Not really. He kind of defended the early on takedowns. I don’t know if it was him, or if it was me as well, I wasn’t pushing as much as I should have. But I took him to deep waters, and he wasn’t ready for it.”
Following the win, the 26-year old plans to regroup with his team and plan his next steps. “I have to go back home, talk to my coaches, see what they think, and just go from there.”
Watch the full UFC 271 post-fight press scrum with Jacob Malkoun above.
