A year ago, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight prospect, Malcolm Wellmakerlooked like one of the campaign’s next breakout stars.
“The Machine” had back-to-back highlight plays, with the first round being dropped Cameron Saima and Chris Moutinho (watch the highlights), declaring himself a seemingly serious threat at 135 pounds.
Then, a month later, all that momentum came to a screeching halt at Madison Square Garden. Indeed, Wellmaker suffered the first loss of his professional career, makes a unanimous decision to Ethyn Ewingwho accepted the fight with only 48 hours notice (details here).
In retrospect, the loss hasn’t aged too badly — Ewing could be the real thing. At that time, however, Wellmaker’s considerable leap took a hit.
The backlash stung, but with the chaotic circumstances surrounding it, Wellmaker was able to explain it away.
“I had redeeming excuses for Ethyn’s loss – multiple opponent changes, then a new one on 48 hours’ notice. The weight cut was tough, all that stuff,” Wellmaker said. MMAmania.com in a recent interview. “So, I had things I could point to. But I had six months with my brother Juan. No name change. It was just him and I still fell short. It put everything into perspective for me.”
Six months after his loss to Ewing, Wellmaker suffered his second straight loss by submission to UFC newcomer, Juan Diazin the second round (see it again here).
After starting his UFC career with two spectacular knockouts, Wellmaker was suddenly 2-2 in the Octagon. Unlike Ewing’s struggle, there was no late change or complicated circumstances to blame.
“The first loss didn’t really hurt my confidence,” Wellmaker said. “I went back and looked at the footage and saw how much I could attribute to the circumstances of the night. I felt in my heart that I let all the elements outside of the fight get in my head and it affected my performance. I walked away from the experience feeling like I was world championship material.
“But when I lost to Juan Diaz 100 percent, it was a big blow to my confidence,” he continued. “My belief in my skills and potential took a big hit and the whispers started to get louder.”
Wellmaker knew something had to change if he was going to turn his promising career around.
That realization forced the proud Augusta, Ga., native to make one of the hardest decisions of his life: leave his friends, family and longtime team behind to start training at American Top Team in Florida.
“It was incredibly hard, man,” Wellmaker said. “I don’t think a lot of people understand how hard it was because I made the move so quickly. I had a conversation with my wife first — just speaking my mind, venting, being honest and working on some things. After that, I reached out to my management. It was the Sunday and Monday after my fight. I immediately started asking for their thoughts on my career, my performance, and what’s next for me.”
The answer became painfully obvious.
Wellmaker made it to the UFC by training with the same people who had helped him from the start. But competing with the best bantamweights in the world – albeit working with limited resources – was no longer sustainable.
When he made his decision, Wellmaker had to tell the people who helped him get there.
“My coaches and teammates were already thinking, ‘Okay, what can we do better?’ Who can we bring to camp? How can we make sure he’s better prepared for his next fight? ” said Wellmaker. “So when I told them I had already decided I wanted to leave, it was a surprise to them.
“We talked about it, man,” he added. “I had no doubt in my heart that they would take it well, even though it was hard to get through the conversation. They understood where I was coming from. They still support me. I talk to these guys every week – all the time.”
Their support didn’t make leaving any easier.
“These guys that I left were my family. They were the guys that I started training with on my first day, at the beginning of my whole UFC career. They were very hard conversations and a hard reality to face. But after the last loss, I really felt like I had to go.”
– Malcolm Wellmaker
Now that Wellmaker is surrounded by training partners competing in the UFC and other major organizations, he finally believes he has the resources to re-introduce himself in a division many once expected him to ascend to.
“Everyone knows that ATT is a mecca for building champions and fighting at the highest level,” Wellmaker said. “The room is hugely laid out. Practices are really, really intense.
“The biggest difference is the sparring,” he continued. “Back home I was sparring hard, don’t get me wrong, but here it’s different because these guys really come after me. They put me in danger and I feel like a real challenge. At the end of our rounds I feel real exhaustion. There are real moments of danger.”
This daily discomfort has restored the confidence that was lost after the Diaz loss.
“I feel like I’m a lot more ready for that feeling in the cage,” Wellmaker said. “Every Tuesday and Thursday when I walk into the gym, I get butterflies. It’s a real experience, man.”
Wellmaker returns to action this weekend (Saturday 10 October 2026). Otari Tanzilov in UFC Vegas 122main card at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And while Wellmaker has been expanding his game over the past several months, don’t expect his new environment to bring out a completely different fighter. “The Machine” is still chasing the same violent outcome.
“I’m going to knock it out. No matter where I go, what I do, who I am or where I am, bro, I’m always the guy trying to get the knock out.
– Malcolm Wellmaker
“Coach Mo (Lawal) told me last week, ‘I don’t think it’s ever going to change. You always have a gunslinger style, but we’ve got to work on those other things,” Wellmaker added. “When I walk into that cage with four-ounce gloves on and a guy standing in front of me, I want to put him to sleep. That will never change.
“But I’m doing it wisely,” he concluded.
To watch the full UFC Vegas 122 combat map and lineup click here.
