Watch: When Alexander Volkanovski knocked out future teammate Jamie Mullarkey
Alexander Volkanovski and Jamie Mullarkey may now be teammates at the Freestyle Fighting Gym in Windang, New South Wales, however, the duo fought early on in their respective careers at the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) promotion. Volkanovski put his featherweight belt on the line against Mullarkey at AFC 15 in May 2016.
An MMA fan has shared snippets from that fight on Twitter. In the video, 'The Great' can be seen kicking his opponent, evading combinations and finally achieving the finish with a lethal punch.
Volkanovski won the bout via knockout in the very first round and joined the UFC six months later. Meanwhile, Mullarkey returned to the lightweight division and joined the UFC three years later in 2019. Mullarkey holds a 14-4 record in his professional MMA career and is 2-2 in the UFC.
Watch the video of Alexander Volkanovski knocking out Jamie Mullarkey below:
Volk knocks out Jamie Mullarkey in 2016 https://t.co/DIdXmkjoPk
He last fought Devonte Smith at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker two months ago and won the bout via TKO in the second round.
Could Alexander Volkanovski be ready to challenge for the lightweight championship next?
Alexander Volkanovski (23-1) has won his last 20 fights in a row, one of the longest current win streaks in the sport.
His last successful title defense came against No. 2-ranked featherweight contender Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in September. After that encounter, he stressed that the winner of November's Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez clash deserves the next shot at his belt.
However, following his unanimous decision victory against the Mexican star, former champ Holloway didn't openly admit he wanted to take on Volkanovski next. As of now, the men's 145-pound champion is without an upcoming opponent.
Volkanovski: "We've got Yair and Max fighting, I'm guessing that's for number one contender... I want to fight, so do I move up to lightweight, fight the champion, whatever it is, give me something."
Alexander Volkanovski has defeated 'Blessed' twice. The first victory was a unanimous decision at UFC 245 while the fight at UFC 251 was declared a split decision in the Australian's favor. A trilogy showdown between the two fighters might be the most logical booking for the UFC right now due to the fact that Holloway has beaten other notable contenders such as Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.
But Volkanovski is even ready to move up a division. Considering the fact that he's won lightweight and welterweight titles in regional MMA promotions, the Australian might have his sights set on becoming a double champion.