LAS VEGAS – Nasrat Haqparast thinks Jamie Mullarkey isn’t as aggressive as he used to be.
Haqparast (15-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) takes on Mullarkey (17-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+
Mullarkey has won three of his past four, and Haqparast vows to bring the fight to him.
“I think Jamie is a good fighter,” Haqparast told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “His nickname is ‘Hooligan,’ and I’m excited for a big, big fight on Saturday. I am coming for violence, this I guarantee.”
Mullarkey’s UFC career started off with a memorable Fight of the Night battle against Brad Riddell at UFC 243, but Haqparast thinks the 29-year-old Aussie has been a lot more hesitant in his recent showings.
“From his last recent fights, we saw he’s a little bit gun shy,” Haqparast said. “He got dropped by Makdessi. He got dropped before. In the beginning of his UFC career, he was more kind of crazy. He fought really like the ‘Hooligan.’
“Now he became a little bit gun shy. This is what I see. Maybe he’s going to try and wrestle me. Even if he’s trying to wrestle me, I’m very prepared for everything, and I’m very excited for 15 minutes of violence.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.