LAS VEGAS – Jamie Mullarkey left UFC on ESPN 39 with the biggest win of his career, but it didn’t come without some help from the judges and a lot of shots from Michael Johnson.
Mullarkey (15-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) edged Johnson (29-18 MMA, 12-14 UFC) by split decision in their lightweight bout at the UFC Apex, taking scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 in a brutal, back-and-forth contest.
The first round started with both men taking a measured approach, but then it evolved into chaos. Johnson dropped Mullarkey with a clean combination, then after he recovered, Mullarkey turned the tables and connected with a late knockdown of his own.
That momentum carried over into Round 2 in a big way for Mullarkey. He started to put a striking pace that put a lot of damage on Johnson. He landed punches, kicks, knees and elbows to take over the fight against Johnson, who looked visibly worn as he slipped in a few hard punches of his own.
With the fight up for grabs in Rond 3, Johnson looked to get some of his wind back early. He pushed forward on Mullarkey, who stayed calm as he tried to find his moments to fire back with a punch or a kick. Johnson’s landing rate picked up as the round wore on, forcing Mullarkey into a failed takedown attempt. That led to them trading shows down to the final bell of an excellent fight.
“I knew he would take me into the trenches,” Mullarkey said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Big step up in competition for me against a guy who has been around forever.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 39 results include:
- Cody Brundage def. Tresean Gore via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:50
- Antonina Shevchenko def. Cortney Casey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- David Onama def. Garrett Armfield via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:13
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Karl Roberson via TKO (elbows) – Round 3, 2:19
- Saidyokub Kakhramonov def. Ronnie Lawrence via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
