Malcolm Wellmaker moved his family, then suffered third UFC loss

Wellmaker faced Otari Tanzilov in the main card opener at
UFC Vegas 122 on Saturday. He had moments of success, but was stopped in the second round after Tanzilovi landed a head kick and a series of punches.

Malcolm Wellmaker reflects on America’s Top Team camp, Otari Tanzilov’s layoff and the future of the UFC

Wellmaker said he was not seriously injured. His game plan was to close the distance to neutralize Tanzilov’s shot. He felt the approach worked early on. He also said he moved his family to Florida to prepare
America’s Top Team.

“The Machine” believes he has improved in his few months in ATT. Although he is unsure of his next step, he plans to continue fighting as long as it provides a way to provide for his family.

“Most of all, I’m healthy, no major injuries, so this is the biggest blessing so far,” Wellmaker said on Instagram. “As for fight night, I worked with it and I felt like it worked well. We wanted to focus on the body, try to stay in striking range because obviously he’s a dangerous hitter. And really abuse the pace and the volume. And it was going well until it didn’t. And I got caught. And hats off to Otari because he’s a great striker because I knew how dangerous we all were because I was in my camp. I moved my whole family in order to prepare and I gave it 110%. Obviously I still have a lot of room for improvement, but as long as I have a chance to fight for my family, I will continue to do so.

Wellmaker (10-3) gained attention with first-round knockout victories
Dana White Candidate Series and in his first two UFC bouts, both of which earned post-fight bonuses. He then lost the decision
Ethyn Ewingwho accepted the appointment with two days’ notice and has finished with the last two performances.