Aussies continue to populate the Octagon, as Malkoun (8-3, 4-3 UFC)
reps Straya against one of the only Americans on the billing in
undefeated fireplug Finney (11-0, 1-0 UFC). Two of the shorter
185ers will toe the line in this one, both a far cry from the
6-foot-5 Nursultan Ruziboev who towers over much of their division.
While they might need a stepstool to reach the top shelf where Mama
hides the cookies, they will handle their business under the
oversight of referee Steve Perceval. Fists are not bumped
first. Finney charges forward, and stops before engaging. He pushes out
jabs that are far out of range, while Malkoun is much closer even
if he too is not yet hitting his target. After 30-ish seconds of
shadowboxing, Malkoun reaches Finney with a few jabs, and the
audience is not pleased. Malkoun brings life to the bored stands by
shooting for a single, and Finney spins around and gets out of it.
Malkoun probes out his jab, and he leans back as two looping hooks
brush his beard. Malkoun drives home a one-two on the jaw, and
Finney does not like it and needs a moment to collect himself.
Finney fakes changing levels, and Malkoun ignores it and puts three
punches on his jaw. Malkoun beats his man to the punch with another
brief exchange, leading Finney to bullrush him and swing for the
fences. Malkoun wears them well, and he stuffs a takedown and hurts
him with a one-two. Finney backs off, and Malkoun dings him with another offering of
fists. Finney loads up on counters, even catching Malkoun with a
left hook, but Malkoun hurts him repeatedly. Finney’s takedown is
stuffed without issue, and Malkoun makes him pay with a combination
of punches. Finney overswings his counters, loading up and firing
out of range, all while Malkoun is teeing off on him. Malkoun busts
open Finney’s nose as he proceeds to beat on him like a rented
mule, forcing Finney to shoot again feebly so he can punch him
square in the face. Finney is out of sorts and not sure what to do,
backing off as Malkoun is able to hit him without fear of reprisal.
Malkoun slugs Finney in the face, grabbing the hulking American and
tossing him to the floor like a side of beef. Rather than go after
ground strikes, Malkoun pursues a modified arm-in guillotine choke,
and the beefy Finney turns him around and secures top position.
Malkoun lands more off his back than Finney does when standing, and
when time expires, Finney clutches his knee and struggles to get
back to his corner. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Finney informs Perceval that he can continue after going down
strangely on his leg during the takedown in the previous round, and
the fighters resume. Malkoun pushes off when Finney tries to engage
him, and Finney hops back with his right knee clearly compromised.
Malkoun stays back, allowing Finney to swing wildly and
inaccurately so he can measure the American and land any time he
chooses. Finney stands still, and he jumps forward to attack and
stings Malkoun with a huge hook. Malkoun blinks it out and pushes
Finney away, where he gets to his preferred range to jab “The
Punisher” up. Finney overswings on a hook, and Malkoun puts a jab
in his face repeatedly. Malkoun’s strikes slash open Finney’s left
eyebrow, and he gladly stays on the outside jabbing away. Finney
closes the distance briefly, only to get driven back after landing
with a few strikes. Malkoun splits the guard with a one-two,
setting Finney down like sack of bricks. Malkoun jumps down in hopes of finishing the job, but the defense
of Finney holds up to allow him to drag himself to the wall and
protect his mug. Malkoun punches the side and under the armpit when
seeing an opening, punishing “The Punisher” with ground strikes
while imposing his weight on the shorter man. Malkoun has his arms
clasped around the waist and attempts to pull Finney down from
behind, looping a hook in to further control his man. Malkoun
attempts a vice-like face crank squeeze, crushing his grip on the
jaw and putting everything into it. Finney, thanks in part to a
bloody nose, slides his head out of the submission and fights back
to his feet without getting struck again before the one-sided round
ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Replays between rounds show how Finney aggravated his hamstring or
knee mid-fight, but Finney toughs it out and starts the last round
aggressively after a stern talking-to from his team. Finney swings
with everything he has, and Malkoun keeps out of range from the
worst of the blows. Malkoun shoots for his own single, and he ties
the American up and bullies him to the fencing, where he proceeds
to aggressively go after another single. Finney defends both
efforts but gets cracked by two hooks, and Malkoun is able to feast
on his defense by scoring at will. Malkoun’s jab consistently gives
the walking tree stump of a fighter issues, and he ducks a Finney
swing to bully him to the wall. Malkoun grinds out the heavily muscled man and imposes his full
weight upon him, leaning and kneeing Finney as his own countrymen
and women boo his strategy. Finney wriggles out, and he gets popped
with a left hook. Finney throws back hard, forcing Malkoun to rub
his nose uncomfortably. The jab from Malkoun is booping Finney on
the schnoz time and again, disrupting wide swings and keeping him
safe. Finney lets his hands go and manages to connect on Malkoun,
who answers with a rushing single that drags Finney to a knee. The
moment Finney walks himself up with the fence behind him, Malkoun
effortlessly hurls him back down. “Mamba” holds on top until the
round ends, speaking to commentator Daniel Cormier outside the cage
by remarking the Finney is better than he thought. The one-sided
bout ends, and Finney can barely stand, needing to get carried back
to his stool after three less-than-stellar rounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27 Malkoun) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27 Malkoun) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27 Malkoun)

Middleweights Malkoun and Petroski go to work under the watchful
eye of referee Gary Copeland. Both men are in orthodox stance and
the crowd lets fly with its first “USA” chant of the evening for
Philly native Petroski. Petroski switches stances frequently in the
early going, frequently ending southpaw, but Malkoun catches him
with a big jab mid-switch that has him stumbling away, hurt.
Malkoun walks him down but does not overcommit to the chase.
Petroski fires a righty jab from southpaw, which Malkoun counters
with a hard left. Malkoun appears sharper on the feet in the first
half of the first round, but Petroski catches him with a clean left
that buckles his legs. Petroski changes levels and tries to take
the Australian down, but can’t finish. Malkoun turns the tables and
tries for a takedown of his own near the fence, but can’t get
Petroski off his feet. Malkoun walks Petroski down, but walks right
into a level change. Petroski hoists a single-leg and sweeps the
other leg to complete the takedown. Malkoun hops right back up and
the horn sounds a few seconds later. Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Malkoun comes forward and tries an immediate takedown, which
Petroski snuffs out easily. Petroski goes for a takedown of his own, then crumples to the
ground on his hands and knees, obviously hurt. Malkoun gives him a
single massive soccer kick to the ribs and with Petroski offering
no resistance, Copeland steps in for the stoppage. It
takes a couple of runs through the replay footage to figure it out,
but it appears Petroski’s head might have collided with the point
of Malkoun’s hip during the takedown attempt. Whatever the case, it
goes down as a win for the “Mamba.”

After a round robin of opponent changes, Australia’s Malkoun (7-2,
3-2 UFC) will now settle for taking on late replacement Brundage
(8-5, 2-4 UFC), with the latter dropping three straight over the
last 10 months. The middleweights will be joined in the cage by
referee Mark Smith, who checks them in without them touching
gloves. Brundage comes out shot out of a cannon, where he attacks
with a head kick before charging towards Malkoun and taking him
down. Malkoun powers himself back to his feet, and he gets hold of
a single and drags Brundage to his seat. Brundage turns the tables
to flip Malkoun over, but the two ultimately scramble well enough
to stand. Malkoun doggedly pursues the single, and after two
additional tries, Malkoun finally pulls Brundage away from the wall
and puts him to his knees. Malkoun slugs his man on the side of the
head, and Smith is paying close attention to the proceedings as
Brundage is taking fire. Brundage works his way to the fence, where
he leans on his side as Malkoun lays into him with strong punches.
Brundage looks frustrated, as Malkoun maintains a tough top
position where he has his own leg entangled between Brundage’s to
keep him grounded. Malkoun continues to beat down on Brundage, and
Brundage leans over and puts his hands on the floor in some kind of
desperate effort to escape. When Brundage gets a modicum of
success, pulling the hook off of his side, Malkoun quickly replaces
it and keeps beating on the American. Malkoun uses his left hand to
bludgeon Brundage, who is taking punishment and not offering any
offense of his own. Malkoun uses a palm-to-palm rear-naked choke to
hunt for the choke with full power, and Brundage shakes his head
out of it. When Brundage is leaned over, Malkoun blasts Brundage in the back
of the head with a mighty elbow. Smith calls time immediately, and
he quickly brings in the doctor, as Brundage is in a bad way from
the foul. Brundage sits up against the cage, and Smith
exits the cage to check replay footage to see the extent of the
elbow landing. There is no specific time allotment for this type of
foul, and Brundage asks how much time he has to recover when Smith
inquires if Brundage can continue. The physician comes in to check
on Brundage’s condition again, and Brundage is not ready to resume
fighting. The fight is waved off, and due to the directly aimed
blow clearly to the back of the head, it could be a
disqualification if the strike is deemed intentional by Smith. This
is an unfortunate ending to what at the time had been a potential
10-8 round for Malkoun, as 45 seconds remained on the clock with
Malkoun in full control.

Two training partners-turned-UFC middleweights will grace the cage
next, as Nick Diaz Academy product Maximov (8-1, 2-1 UFC) will aim
to bounce back from his first career defeat at the expense of
Robert Whittaker teammate Malkoun (6-2, 2-2 UFC). Ready for
whatever happens next is referee Mark Smith, and the fighters do
not touch ‘em up. They both measure their range with high kicks,
but neither man lands with them. Instead, they switch things up to
jabs, and they peck at one another from a distance. Maximov walks
his opponent down and straight into repeated jabs, and he loads up
on a huge left hand. When it misses, he doubles down with another,
and it stuns the Aussie and drops him to his knees. Malkoun
attempts to take the fight down when hurt, and after a brief
grappling stalemate, they return to their feet. Maximov looks to
get his feet beneath him again and work his jab once more, but
Maximov has found his range with hooks. The Nick Diaz-trained
fighter just misses with a spinning wheel kick, but he clips
Malkoun coming in with a sharp left. Malkoun ducks down with a
single, and he wrenches Maximov down to the mat. The American works
his way to his knees and back to his feet, but Malkoun immediately
secures a mat return. The grind continues for Malkoun, who yanks
Maximov down any time he stands back up. Maximov wriggles out of
the grip, and he backs off to the fence and gets popped with a left
hook. Malkoun connects with a few punches that draw a grin out of
his opponent, and he might have compromised Maximov when attacking.
Maximov winces as he backs off, and Malkoun gives chase and
connects with a few punches before setting him down with a snatch
single. Maximov works his way back up, and Malkoun follows him
every step of the way and sneaks a right hand around the guard.
Maximov shells up and is defending, and he cannot back Malkoun off
even when getting a left hand in. As soon as the horn sounds,
Maximov reaches to his right leg in pain, and he lets out a yelp.
It is unclear if he will be able to continue, and his corner calms
him down and has him sit on his stool to recover. Smith calls in
the doctor between rounds, but Maximov is cleared to keep
fighting. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

The doctors come to check on Maximov again between rounds, and
despite the limp and obvious pain, Maximov is once more good to go.
A few punches from Malkoun lead to a takedown, and he grabs a
single and lowers Maximov to the mat gently. Malkoun searches for a
rubber guard with his non-damaged leg, but Malkoun shrugs it off
and continues holding on from above. A little light
ground-and-pound is absorbed by the Californian before he jumps
back up to his feet, and Malkoun is on him with his fists. Smith is
paying close attention to the injured fighter, and Malkoun grips
his man from behind and then slings leather at him. Maximov strings
two punches together, but neither find their target as the Aussie
is able to evade them. Maximov tumbles to the ground from a
single-leg takedown, and Malkoun clings to his damaged opponent
without landing much in the way of offense on his own right.
Malkoun grinds from top position, preferring to rack up control
time rather than deal damage. The heavy top pressure is not enough
to keep even the injured Maximov down, and Maximov works his way
back up and connects with a few punches to get the audience back in
the fight. Malkoun takes any momentum away with a labored but
simple single, and Maximov has no hope of defending it in his
condition. Maximov turns to his knees, despite this, and wants to
fight his way back up. Malkoun holds him down with a front choke
that is more to hang on than to actually submit anyone, and the
horn mercifully sounds to conclude this miserable fight. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27 Malkoun) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27
Malkoun) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-27 Malkoun)

Moving right along, this next fight comes up at middleweight, when
Allen (18-5, 6-2 UFC) drops back down to 185 pounds in hopes of
defanging “Mamba” Malkoun (6-1, 2-1 UFC). The third man inside the
Octagon will be gold-standard referee Jason Herzog, and he takes a
step back when the fighters wade forward with no interest in
touching gloves. Allen fires off a few high kicks and a jab to
follow, and he catches Malkoun backing up with a leg kick. Allen
goes over the top with a right hand, and Malkoun looks to stand
firm and blast him back. They trade big punches on the inside, and
Allen backs off and aims a kick low. Malkoun scores solidly with a
jab, and Allen chomps down on his gumshield to throw heavy leather.
“Mamba” is able to slither out of danger and answer Allen with a
solid right hand, but Allen is on him giving chase. Allen loads up
on power punches, darting forward and making the Aussie retreat. As
Allen lands a low kick, Malkoun pursues a takedown. Malkoun takes
Allen’s legs out beneath him as Allen pursues a possible guillotine
choke setup, and he shrugs his neck out and they both stand up.
Malkoun keeps his hands clasped behind Allen’s waist, and he elects
to simply drag Allen down on top of him when he cannot otherwise
take Allen down. Allen ends up giving his back up when unable to
twist around, and Malkoun gets one hook in and holds him tight.
Allen turns to his knees and powers back up with Malkoun on his
back, and he lifts Allen up but cannot plant him down. Allen hops
towards the cage and reverses Malkoun to throw him down to the mat
with emphasis. “All In” goes all-in as he claims mount in a hurry,
but before he can get off any noteworthy offense, Malkoun is
scrambling wildly. Allen threatens with a submission, and they both
power back up instead. Allen clings to a guillotine choke when
Malkoun looks to tackle him back over, and the Aussie wriggles his
neck out and gets on top. Allen scoots his way to the wall on a
single knee, and he stands up with a few seconds to spare. Malkoun
holds on, taking a short punch and elbow to the face, before the
horn blares. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Allen Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Allen Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Allen

The middleweights do decide to touch gloves to start off the second
round, and Allen starts off hot with a few power punches that get
blocked. Malkoun responds with a looping right hand, and Allen
kicks him in the head for good measure. Malkoun pushes out a few
jabs, leading to Allen imploring him to strike with him. As Allen
advances, Malkoun clips him with a straight left, getting stunned
for a moment. They both land powerful hooks, and Allen chains the
punch into a low kick. As soon as it lands, Malkoun attacks a
single-leg takedown, and Allen fights off this try and a subsequent
trip but gets pulled down to the mat. Allen cannot stay upright,
even with a cheeky fence grab, and he falls to his back and closes
his guard. The Aussie steps over to half guard, and he grinds with
his forehead instead of striking. Allen slashes with elbows from
his back, and he bucks Malkoun off to walk up the cage back to his
feet. Malkoun lets him spin around so that he can wrench Allen down
to the ground with a single. Malkoun jumps to half guard and gets
off a couple short punches to the body, and he has one go over the
top. Malkoun hangs on from on top, and he sits up to drop down a
pair of elbows before glomming back down. Allen scrambles after
these strikes, getting to a knee and ultimately surrendering his
back. Allen times an explosion quickly to gain top position, and he
leaps over to side control with about 30 seconds left in the round.
Allen hammers down a few short elbows as the round comes to a
close. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

To start off the round in a reversal of fortunes, Allen shoots for
a takedown early. Although he puts Malkoun on his back, the Aussie
scrambles during a transition to get back to his feet. Allen lets
his hands go, marking Malkoun up, and Malkoun tries to respond with
a few jabs. Malkoun charges wildly forward to hunt for a single,
and he grounds Allen momentarily. The American climbs back to his
feet as Malkoun is holding his back standing, and Malkoun whips him
back down to the canvas. Allen nails him with a couple elbows off
his back, but this offense slows when Malkoun holds his own head on
top of Allen’s. “All In” kicks off but cannot get Malkoun off of
him, and Malkoun takes his back. Allen turns the tables to get on
top, and Malkoun doggedly reverses him and goes for a single. Allen
steps all the way through to get on top, as both men embark in a
thrilling wrestling exchange. Malkoun will not let him into his
guard, but Allen lowers himself in and lands a few strikes from
above. Allen hacks with an elbow or two as he has Malkoun flat on
his back, and he drops down a few punches to mix things up. Malkoun
defends with a triangle off his back to tie his man up and reach
the scorecards. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun) Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)

Training partners of fan-favorite ex-UFC champs will come to blows
in this middleweight encounter, as Strong Style Fight Team’s Dobson
(6-0, 1 NC; 0-0 UFC) – home of Stipe Miocic – meets PMA Super
Martial Arts prospect Malkoun (5-1, 1-1 UFC), a teammate of
headliner Robert Whittaker. The third man in the cage for what
could be a quick one is referee Herb Dean, who is ready for
whatever comes his way as he bears witness to a touch of gloves.
Dobson quickly fires off a right hand, and he slips back to sling a
right hand as Malkoun just dodges in time. Dobson cracks his foe
with a right hand, forcing the Aussie to shoot for a desperation
takedown. Dobson gets lifted up in the air, but he slithers his
legs down to the mat so that he can keep his balance and not get
taken down, in an impressive display of balance. “Mamba” grinds
Dobson against the fence until Dobson breaks off, and he loose a
quick one-two that connects cleanly on the beard of Malkoun. Dobson
tries to time a right hand low when Malkoun attacks for a takedown,
and Dobson once more keeps his balance when Malkoun elevates him.
The newcomer manages to break the grip, pushes off and returns to
his preferred boxing range. Malkoun lets go with a few punches, but
Dobson grabs him to knee him in the body a few times. Malkoun
flicks out a jab, but Dobson ignores them and answers with some of
his own. A quick chain of punches come out as Malkoun retreats, and
he connects with a solid leg kick at the end of a combination.
Dobson snaps the head back with a punch and goes up high with a
kick, and every strike that lands seems to draw a reaction out of
his opponent. Malkoun sits down on a right hand, but Dobson does
not even budge when it smacks into his cheek. Dobson stands firm,
delivering a couple more one-twos and a body kick. When Malkoun
lifts his man’s leg up in pursuit of a takedown, Dobson hops back
and bounces off the cage wall to get free. Dobson gives chase when
he lands a few punches, and Malkoun is rocked from an accumulation
of damage. Dobson takes the center of the cage and swats at his
shaky man, clipping him with a left hook and a one-two that bounces
off the side of the head. Malkoun drops down low for a single,
lifting Dobson’s leg up in the air and finally securing a takedown.
He can only maintain top position for a few seconds before the
round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dobson Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dobson Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dobson

They clap hands to start of the second round, and Dobson, brimming
with confidence, strides out with a few jabs. He gets off a right
hand, and closes the distance to slam a knee into the Aussie’s
midsection. As he lands a few more strikes, he draws out another
takedown entry from “Mamba,” but that too fails as Dobson turns him
around and knees him in the body. They jockey for position against
the fence, and Malkoun stays doggedly in pursuit of a takedown but
nothing presents itself. Dobson is able to get Malkoun to back off
when he sets up a Thai clinch, and he misses a knee by an inch.
Malkoun resets, crashes forward and secures a takedown. The
American gets to his knees without much issue, stands back up, and
gets wrenched back down with a mat return. Malkoun begins to smash
Dobson in the side of the head with his fists, and Dobson is hurt
and in trouble as cornerman Mark Coleman bellows for Dobson to get
up. Malkoun does not let him up, raining down left hands as he
keeps Dobson stuck on a knee. The strikes turn from damaging ones
to more frustrating shots, but Malkoun is able to step over and sit
down on Dobson’s thigh to ground him. Dobson thinks to explode, but
Malkoun continues to grind and slug Dobson in the face with
powerful left hands. Malkoun pursues a guillotine choke when
working Dobson over, and he fails on that but does not let Dobson
off the hook. Dobson bursts back to his feet with 10 seconds to go,
and he pops Malkoun with a pair of punches before the bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

The middleweights greet in the center of the cage, and Dobson
appears energized when back upright again. He flicks out a jab that
makes Malkoun blink it out a few times, and he catches Malkoun
coming in with a right hand. The Aussie changes levels for a
takedown, and the defense does not hold up for Dobson this time, as
he gets pulled down to the mat. Dobson remains on his knees before
jumping back up, and he succumbs to a mat return when Malkoun
powers him back down. “Mamba” holds on from behind, landing
sporadic right hands until the unbeaten fighter stands up. Malkoun
continues his assault of takedown tries, and he sucks Dobson’s legs
out beneath him and lands in half guard. Dobson wriggles himself to
the corner between the floor and the wall, and Coleman’s
encouragement is still somehow louder than all the boos raining
down in the building combined. Malkoun does not register the
crowd’s disappointment with his “embrace the grind” tactics, as he
thumps down on Dobson with right hands. The fighters start talking
to each other, with Dobson admitting his foe is stronger than he
thought, and they continue to converse as Malkoun is pounding on
him. Dobson tries to get into a slugfest from his back, with
punches from his back, but Malkoun’s are considerably harder.
Malkoun switches from punches to elbows as he staves off a standup
from Dean, and precious seconds tick off the clock while Malkoun
grinds him out. With just a few seconds left in the fight, Dobson
somersaults backwards to get out of the position, stands up and
wings a high kick, but it comes up short of the mark right before
the fight ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-27
Malkoun) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)

Up now, we try to snap the streak of four split decisions with what
should be a middleweight banger, as Alhassan (10-3, 4-3 UFC) comes
to blows with fellow slugger Malkoun (4-1, 0-1 UFC). Referee Chris
Tognoni needs to keep his head on a swivel for this one, and there
is a glove touch before fists start flying. Alhassan lets go with a
head kick that gets dodged, and the Aussie quickly drops down low
for a single leg takedown. He puts Alhassan on his back, and
Alhassan kicks around to get to the fence and back to a knee.
Malkoun considers a guillotine choke as he has Alhassan pressed
against the cage, but Alhassan stands up anyway. “Judo Thunder”
begins to unload with vicious elbows to the side of the head, and
Malkoun is hurt but still able to pursue a takedown. Malkoun tries
to take the fight back down when they separate, but this time,
Alhassan stuffs it and starts to wing bombs. Malkoun keeps his
composure and pursues a takedown, and he trips Alhassan’s leg out
beneath him. The Texan climbs back up with assistance from a fence
grab, and Malkoun trips him back down again. Once more, Alhassan
angles to stand up, and there is a near-successful mat return for
the Aussie. Malkoun is content to grind Alhassan up against the
fence to fatigue the ferocious striker before tripping the leg out
and putting Alhassan on his back. As Alhassan tries to climb up,
Malkoun’s pressure is overwhelming and he plants Alhassan back down
one more time. Alhassan gets his hips suck out from beneath him as
soon as he is standing, and “Judo Thunder” looks irritated as he
continues to get grounded. Alhassan finally gets back up and breaks
the grip, where he lets loose a pair of slapping body kicks. The
two trade jabs, and Tognoni warns them for outstretched fingers.
Alhassan targets the body a few more times with his kick, and a
head kick misses the mark before the bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

The middleweights march to the center of the cage, greet one
another with jabs, and it is Malkoun that makes Alhassan take a
step back when he shoots in for a low single. He hits the takedown
with ease, but he does not hold Alhassan there. When the Texan pops
back up, Malkoun slams him back down in half guard. Alhassan
defends with a guillotine choke, and as he tries to tighten it with
his other hand, Malkoun slips his neck out. With no way for
Alhassan to walk up the fence as they are square in the middle of
the Octagon, Malkoun drops down a few punches. Alhassan circles his
way around and tries to pop back up, and Malkoun pulls guard for a
choke. Alhassan falls to his back as he survives the choke, and
Malkoun repositions himself to return up on top. Once more, Malkoun
rolls through for a guillotine choke attempt, and Alhassan defends
it like before. Alhassan scrambles to his knees, and he falls into
a potential anaconda choke. Alhassan breaks the grip and winds up
giving up side control, and Malkoun lands a few shots before
Alhassan scrambles once more. Malkoun drops down with the
guillotine attempt to put Alhassan back down, and Alhassan is able
to avoid the choke danger by grabbing his foe’s shorts and standing
up. Malkoun does not give him a moment to breathe, pursuing a
single leg takedown and then just pressing Alhassan into the cage.
When they separate, Alhassan’s legs are wobbly possibly from
fatigue, but he still wings power punches and huge head kicks.
Malkoun stands him up with a pair of crisp punches, and he has
Alhassan stuck against the fence before shooting in for a takedown.
The Aussie cannot get the takedown before the horn blares. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Malkoun Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Malkoun Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Malkoun

The middleweights decide to touch gloves to begin the final round,
and Malkoun slaps the leg with a kick. Alhassan takes a few punches
on the chin, and one right hand snaps his head back. Alhassan
overextends himself with a left hand, which puts him right in
position to have to defend a takedown. Alhassan shucks it off, and
Malkoun backs away to pursue a different angle. The Aussie crashes
forward with his takedown, and this time, it puts Alhassan flat on
his back. Malkoun sits comfortable in half guard, where he works on
the spent Alhassan with right hands and elbows. Alhassan looks to
sit up, and he rolls to a knee into the guillotine choke where
Malkoun has tried before. Alhassan lifts Malkoun in the air to get
out of the choke, and Malkoun lets go and chases him with big
punches. “Mamba” squeezes Alhassan into the cage wall, but he
cannot keep him trapped for long. Malkoun gives Alhassan a few
seconds to reset before charging in for a takedown attempt, lather,
rinse, repeat, but he cannot quite trip the leg. Malkoun circles
around to take the back standing, and Alhassan keeps his balance.
Malkoun tries to break the posture with foot stomps and knees up
high, and Alhassan pushes him away and slips back into the fence.
Malkoun follows him there, where he slings Alhassan to the canvas
with a single. Malkoun decides to let go with ground-and-pound now
that Alhassan closes his guard around him, and Alhassan decides it
would be in his best interest to throw back instead of escape this
position. Alhassan scoots into the corner of the fence and the
floor, where he uses the angle to stand back up. Malkoun takes him
from behind and looks to elevate him and slam him down, but he
circles around to drop low for a single. When it fails, Malkoun
drops down for one last takedown, and Alhassan pushes him away and
tries to decapitate his foe with a diving right hand in the last
seconds. Unlike Dan Henderson on Michael Bisping, the booming shot
misses the mark, and the grind of a fight is mercifully over. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-26 Malkoun) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-26
Malkoun) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (30-26 Malkoun)

In a matchup that might seem out of place on the main card among
other bouts containing top-ranked fighters, exciting prospects
Hawes (8-2, 0-0 UFC) and Malkoun (4-0, 0-0 UFC) nevertheless make
their UFC debuts against one another at middleweight. Watching on
to see which one pans out will be referee Jason Herzog, and a
respectful glove touch begins the fight. Hawes pushes the pace
early, chasing after Malkoun and landing a few serious punches. A
right hand hurts Malkoun, and “Megatron” smells blood and unleashes
a thunderous barrage of strikes. When Malkoun falls back to the
fence, a right and a left hook put the Aussie not just down, but
out cold as he falls face-first to the canvas. What a way to
introduce yourself to the organization in your debut, doing so on
one of the biggest of stages imaginable in lightning-quick fashion.
Wow.

Jacob Malkoun

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Striking Profile

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Grappling Profile

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Conclusions Summary