Jacob Malkoun (born August 26, 1995) is an Australian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

At the age of 16, Malkoun started training in martial arts after his father put him in a local boxing gym to shed some his 115 kg

Rugby League Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

Prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

’s frame where he trains with former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Malkoun is an ADCC Asia 2019 Trials winner and a 2019 Pan Pacific Gold Medalist. He also has a 3-0 record as a Pro Boxer.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Debuting in 2017, Malkoun compiled a 4–0 record on the regional Australian scene, winning his debut against Cam Rowston at BRACE 47 via unanimous decision. He would go on to win his next two bouts by the way off TKO; against Ryan Heketa at Hex Fight Series 17 and Christophe Van Dijk at Wollongong Wars 7. In his last bout on the regional scene, he defeated Sebastian Temesi at Eternal MMA 48 via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Malkoun made his UFC debut at

UFC 254 ''UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 24, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event proceeded ...

on October 24, 2020 against

Phil Hawes Philip Nicholas Fitzgerald Hawes (born January 8, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hawes started out as a standout wrestler, winning a natio ...

. Malkoun lost the fight via knockout 18 seconds into round one. Malkoun faced

Abdul Razak Alhassan Abdul Razak Alhassan (born August 11, 1985) is a Ghanaian mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, he formerly fought in Bellator and Legacy Fighting Ch ...

on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 22. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Malkoun faced AJ Dobson on February 12, 2022 at

UFC 271 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Malkoun faced

Brendan Allen Brendan Cody Allen (born December 28, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the ...

on June 11, 2022 at

UFC 275 ''UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Procházka'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Champi ...

. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Malkoun faced Nick Maximov on October 15, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 212 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Malkoun is scheduled to face Aliaskhab Khizriev on September 23, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 228 ''UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 228'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 86'' and ''UFC Vegas 79'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 23, 2023, at the UF ...

. However, Khizriev was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by newcomer Robert Bryczek. Bryczek was then in turn replaced by

Cody Brundage Cody Brundage (born May 16, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Brundage was an accomplished high school wrestler at Chapin High School in Chapin ...

. Malkoun lost the fight via disqualification in the first round, rendering Brundage unable to continue after an illegal elbow to the back of Brundage's head. Malkoun faced

Andre Petroski Andre Petroski (born June 12, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Having wrestled since he was four years old, Petroski was a three-time state qu ...

on March 30, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 54. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Malkoun was scheduled to face Rodolfo Vieira on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251. However, Malkoun withdrew from the fight due to an undisclosed injury.

Personal life

Malkoun's moniker "Mamba" is after the late

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

player

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

. Malkoun works as a

Jiu Jitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

instructor at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Smeaton Grange in Sydney, Australia.

Championships and accomplishments

Grappling

* 2019: ADCC Asian & Oceanic Championship - 1st place in 99 kg class (

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

)

Mixed martial arts record

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Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

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Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malkoun, Jacob 1995 births Living people Australian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Australian male boxers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Martial artists from Sydney 21st-century Australian sportsmen Australian submission wrestlers Australian male sport wrestlers