Coming off a big win in February, his second straight, and one that ended an extended layoff, middleweight Jacob Malkoun returns to action at this Saturday’s UFC Perth.
Malkoun (9-3) picked up the victory over Torrez Finney last time out, and spoke of that performance and some of his difficulties making it to fights during Wednesday’s UFC Perth media day.
“I come to perform. I work hard in the gym so when it’s under the lights, I work hard every time,” he stated.
The injuries and cancelled fights that Malkoun, who fights Gerald Meerschaert this Saturday, has endured haven’t changed how he feels either in training, or fight week. “Myself and my team have always known how good I am and how good I can be,” he suggested. “I’ve just got to perform under those lights. For me, it doesn’t make a difference. Feels like I’m fighting any other fight. So I just feel like I’ve got to go in there and do me, and if I do me I think the result will come.”
Nor has he changed his approach to training. The difference in his recent success, he added, is “I think just the experience and my mental game has obviously gone to a different level. I think I’m better than everyone, and that’s what I’ve got to do, is show it to everyone else.”
With a couple of his teammates on skids, Malkoun is a bit of a bright spot in camp right now. Though he doesn’t revel in his victories much.
“I kind of hate losing more than I like winning. I win, I’m good for a little bit but people think I’m a bit of a funny guy. I just want to go back to the gym, coach, train. I don’t really get too high on the win. Because at the end of the day it’s a fight, it’s a job, you get the job done. Happy about yourself, but it is what it is, you’ve got to get to the next guy and beat the next guy.”
Watch the UFC Perth media day appearance by Jacob Malkoun above.
