Nasrat Haqparast, Jamie Mullarkey to Collide at UFC 284 in Australia

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next trip to Australia is jam-packed with local talent.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie broke the news that Nasrat Haqparast (14-5) will take on Jamie Mullarkey (15-5) at UFC 284. The two lightweights will battle it out at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11. Both Haqparast and Mullarkey subsequently confirmed their appearances at the event on their respective Instagram pages.

Born in Germany to Afghan parents and currently representing Morocco, Haqparast concluded his first winless streak in September by taking a decision over John Makdessi. The victory reversed his fortune after two straight decision losses to Dan Hooker and Bobby Green in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Each of the last five outings for Haqparast have seen the final judges’ scorecards, but prior to that, he had sparked Joaquim Silva early in the second round only to get blasted by Drew Dober in 70 seconds a few months later.

Australia native Mullarkey also bounced back from a loss this year, snagging a contentious split decision over Michael Johnson that a majority of scoring media members thought Johnson had won. Winner in three of his last four, before a March knockout to Jalin Turner, Mullarkey put Khama Worthy and Devonte Smith away with strikes in a solid 2021 campaign.

The UFC posts up in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11, taking over the RAC Arena and filling it with fighters from the Oceanic region. With 10 of 11 slated fights currently containing a competitor from Australia or New Zealand, the pay-per-view will end with a champ vs. champ superfight as featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski moves up to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound throne. With Volkanovski leaving the division for some time, the UFC has put up the interim featherweight crown on the line at this event as well, with Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett vying for the official, gold-belted no. 1 contender position.