Nick Walshaw from Fox Sports
Australia’s Jacob Malkoun is promising the most “violent” performance of his UFC career this Sunday before then embarking on a rugged summer training program aimed at reviving the Canterbury Bulldogs.
After being out of the Octagon for almost a year, largely because of injury, Malkoun now returns — and as the betting favourite — for his UFC fight Night showdown against America’s Cody Brundage in Las Vegas.
Apart from having won three of his past four bouts inside the cage, Malkoun and head coach Alex Prates are also employed as wrestling coaches at Belmore.
While the Doggies may have struggled this year, the duo are among the most successful NRL wrasslin’ units ever assembled – having worked with Penrith during their consecutive premierships, and also at South Sydney in 2014.
The fight team, which also includes Australia’s first UFC champion Robert Whittaker, has also been working overtime for the past couple of months to prepare Malkoun for what has been three different opponents.
“Initially, I was down to fight a Dagestani wrestler but five weeks ago he withdrew,” Malkoun explains of his first rival, undefeated Aliaskhab Khizriev – aka ‘The Black Wolf’.
“Then the guy they got to replace him, two weeks back he also pulled out.
“So now it’s Cody.
“But the main thing is, the work has been done.
“Initially, you’re training for one guy — he is in your head the whole time — but then he’s gone and you start training for a new guy, then another new guy, so little things do change.
“But while my training may not have been specific (for Brundage), all the hard work won’t have gone to waste.”
