“I had a few weeks off after that,” admits the Aussie. “I got my body right, refocused myself, then got back into training. That loss still stings a little bit, so I’m very hungry coming into this next fight against Michael Johnson.”
Mullarkey trains primarily under UFC fighter turned coach Ross Pearson at Central Coast MMA. However, for his past three camps, he’s also been spending time at Freestyle MMA with coach Joe Lopez and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. It’s an arrangement Mullarkey believes is continuing to pay dividends.
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“It’s made me level up. There are more guys there to train with, and Volk himself is just great to be around. He is so obsessed with the sport and it gives me the drive to learn, learn, learn. Volk’s got this underdog mentality – he never stops trying to improve and he never gives up. If there’s one thing I want to take away from training with him, it’s that mentality.”
Recently, Mullarkey also worked with City Kickboxing striking coach Mike Angove, who brought a team of fighters over from New Zealand to train at Freestyle MMA and was happy to share his knowledge. “Mike is a legend. I learned a lot from that man – he spent a lot of time helping me out.”
If you’ve ever imagined UFC fighters sitting at home, avidly tuning in to the events in which they’re not involved, well, in Mullarkey’s case, that picture is accurate. The Central Coast native is a hardcore fan.
