Jacob Malkoun Disputes Disqualification Loss at UFC Fight Night 228

Jacob Malkoun faced Cody Brundage in a middleweight clash on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 228 this past Saturday.

The Australian looked impressive in his return to the Octagon, as he took Brundage down in the opening seconds. Malkoun went on to lay some heavy ground-and-pound, prompting referee Mark Smith to ask for some action from Brundage. “Mamba” then attempted a rear-naked choke before landing an elbow that was deemed illegal by the referee, leading to a pause in action. Brundage said he was unable to continue and was declared the winner via disqualification after review of the footage.

Malkoun has now weighed in on the loss, voicing his disagreement with the decision. The Australian claims the elbow was completely unintentional and not exactly to the back of the head.

“I’ve had some time to think. I just want to make it clear that the shot was UNINTENTIONAL, as I was throwing the elbow to the side of his head he turned his back to me,” Malkoun wrote on Instagram. “Really the forearm hit his trap so it wasn’t the back of the head anyways. I’ve lost the bout and some money after dominating, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But then I remind myself, the morning of the fight I prayed to [God] asking for two things, to perform to the best of my abilities and show all the hard work I’ve put in, the second was to keep my health. So in the end [God] gave me both of these things so it’s not that bad. On to the next!”

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