Jamie Mullarkey, Shannon Ross and Kevin Jousset confirm bouts for Las Vegas fight night

Excitement machine Jamie Mullarkey is back in action for the fourth time this year.

Jamie Mullarkey is back in action in Las Vegas in December. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Aussies Jamie Mullarkey and Shannon Ross, and New Zealand-based welterweight Kevin Jousset have all confirmed for fights at UFC Fight Night 33 at The Apex in Las Vegas on December 9 (December 10 in Australia).

Central Coast-based lightweight Mullarkey is coming off a bounce-back win over John Makdessi at UFC 293 in Sydney in September, and takes on 11-fight veteran Nasrat Haqparast.

Queensland’s Ross is looking for his first win in his third fight in the UFC when he faces Park Hyun-sung.

Mullarkey has been in some of the most entertaining fights involving an Aussie over the past four years. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Welterweight prospect Jousset, who trains out of the same City Kickboxing gym as Israel Adesanya in Auckland, fights Song Kenan.

The trio will appear on the prelims to a bantamweight main event featuring Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez.

The card was initially scheduled to be held in Shanghai in what would have been the UFC’s first visit to China since the Covid-19 pandemic.

In mid-November, the UFC announced that the entire card was being moved to Las Vegas.

A long-time training partner and one-time opponent of featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, Mullarkey had a promising two-fight win streak snapped by late-notice replacement Muhammad Naimov in June.

Shannon Ross is looking for his first win in the UFC. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The 30-year-old came back with an emotional decision win over Makdessi in front of a raucous home crowd in Sydney in September.

His showdown with Naqparast caps off a busy year, with ‘The Hooligan’ set for his fourth fight since February.

“My evolution has been really fun. I’ve been learning different areas about the sport and about myself as well,” Mullarkey told this masthead. “You’re in there against your opponent, but you’re in there against yourself as well.

“It’s about learning how to deal with everything better and becoming that one percent better every day.”

Born in France, the Auckland-based Kevin Jousset (R) is one to watch. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ross, a former gun rugby league player at Palm Beach Currumbin, earned a UFC contract after a heroic performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in August last year.

He fell to a second round TKO loss, but was awarded with a contract after UFC boss White discovered he’d fought with a burst appendix.

Getting the contract allowed the tradie to quit his day job, but he has since suffered two first round knockout losses and is desperate to get a win.

Jousset enjoyed a memorable debut at UFC 293, stepping into the Octagon at 8:40am for the very first fight of the day.

He wasted little time getting to work, choking out Kiefer Crosbie with 11 seconds remaining in the first round.

Originally published as Jamie Mullarkey, Shannon Ross and Kevin Jousset confirm bouts for Las Vegas fight night