Fighters rarely choose to take big, long breaks in the middle of their careers, especially when they’re competing at the highest level. After years spent grafting on smaller shows, building the resume needed to reach the UFC, the idea of pressing pause and resetting is the polar opposite of how many competitors approach things. Everything is about pushing through, continuing to grind, sacrificing time and again because there are myriad people that would kill to trade places with you, and taking a break is the last thing most athletes ever think about doing.
But our bodies need rest, as do our minds, and after a punishing fight with Ruffy in Rio, Mullarkey knew that he needed to take a step back for a while if he was ever going to resume taking steps forward.
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“I needed a good break after my last fight — for the head, the soul, just let myself get that itch and that hunger back,” explained the 31-year-old lightweight, who has gone 5-6 through his first 11 UFC starts, earning a reputation as a tough out in the 155-pound weight class. “I had a little rest, went overseas, went back to being a human.
“I wanted to get back in there at the start of the year, but a little bit of health issues had me sidelined for longer than I would have liked,” continued Mullarkey, who shifted his training to Freestyle MMA under Joe Perez and alongside featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in January. “I kept getting some staph infections and it was nasty, man; I couldn’t get rid of it. It was with me for a couple months and I had to have some time off the gym.
