Las Vegas, NV – UFC lightweight Jamie Mullarkey gets back into the octagon on Saturday at UFC Vegas 58 against Michael Johnson.
Mullarkey (14-5) is coming off a loss to Jalin Turner at UFC 272 in March.
“Just a learning experience. Wasn’t the result that we wanted. I think I can still win that fight, but we’ll just work out way back up,” Mullarkey told Cageside Press among other media on Thursday.
Mullarkey now gets Johnson who comes off a knockout win in May against Alan Patrick.
“Just excited man. Excited to fight such a big name. A real veteran in the sport. There’s a lot of respect there, and looking forward to getting in there and mixing it up with him,” said Mullarkey.
Johnson has had his share of ups and downs in his UFC career, but the win over Patrick snapped a four-fight losing streak. Mullarkey is not putting much weight in the losing streak and knows “The Menace” is a very dangerous fighter still.
“It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m not really looking at where he is in his career. I know that he’s going to be motivated to beat me and get me out of there. I’m looking to do the same thing. I think it’s a pretty winnable fight for me, but I know it’s going to be tough,” Mullarkey said.
“I know he’s got a lot of fight in him, a lot of dog in him, but so do I. It’s a good matchup.”
Mullarkey did watch quite a bit of Johnson’s fights as a fan before getting the call to fight him on Saturday night.
“Yeah man I was (a fan) to tell you the truth. He’s a veteran. I’ve been watching him since I started in the sport so it’s pretty cool to be fighting him,” he said.
The goal for Saturday is to win, and win convincingly, but Mullarkey knows that’s easier said than done.
“I want to stay composed and put on a good performance. I got a little bit gun happy, trigger happy, with Jalin. All the same I’m looking to get the win once and foremost. I want to get my feet under me, and just feel it out and put on a really good performance,” Mullarkey said.
“That’s what you’re going to see.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 58 media day appearance by Jamie Mullarkey above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 9, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas.