Preview: UFC 301 Prelims

Lightweights

Mauricio Ruffy (9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (17-7, 5-5 UFC)

ODDS: Ruffy (-175), Mullarkey (+145)

After a surprisingly active 2023, Mullarkey kicks off 2024 on gatekeeper duty. The Australian impressed in his 2019 UFC debut—a back-and-forth war against the much more hyped Brad Riddell—and has done an impressive job of honing his skills in the years since, going from a brawler to a solidly well-rounded fighter. Mullarkey can usually land on an approach to find some success early on in his fights, but there’s usually a sense that he’s walking a tightrope thanks to his lack of physical gifts. Mullarkey isn’t much of a quick-twitch athlete, and, the Riddell fight aside, there are a lot of moments where his durability betrays him against hard hitters. That came home to roost in Mullarkey’s last fight, a sub-two-minute knockout at the hands of Nasrat Haqparast, and also shows up as a concern here against a Brazilian newcomer. Ruffy still has yet to go to a decision in his mixed martial arts career, and a look at his regional footage makes it easy to see why. A lot of his fights saw him pick and choose flashy techniques to try and score a knockout with little regard as to what his opponent would bring in return. However, Ruffy’s Contender Series win in October was a pleasant surprise. It didn’t provide the expected fireworks, but Ruffy stayed surprisingly patient in breaking down and outlasting his opponent before scoring a stoppage in the closing moments of the fight. Mullarkey is unlikely to fade, but if Ruffy shows up anywhere near like he did in that last fight, he should be able to find a fight-ending moment of offense at some point within 15 minutes. The pick is Ruffy via second-round knockout.

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