Malcolm Wellmaker eyes UFC 322, enjoying ‘almost unrecognizable’ life
UFC bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker speaks to reporters at Dana White’s Contender Series 82 in Las Vegas.
Malcolm Wellmaker’s arrival to the UFC scene has been anything but quiet.
With just two UFC fights under his belt, the 31-year-old bantamweight has made the most of his opportunities thus far. Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) made his introduction to the UFC audience on Dana White’s Contender Series with a first-round knockout. He was signed to the promotion and then knocked out Cameron Saaiman in his April debut. His next appearance in June was another opening-round exit for his opponent, Kris Moutinho.
Wellmaker earned a bonus for both finishes, and hopes to get an opportunity to earn a third in 2025.
“One hundred percent (I want to return) before the end of the year,” Wellmaker told reporters backstage at DWCS 82. “I’m hoping, possibly, in November. We’ll see what happens, but fingers crossed, I’m staying ready.”
Wellmaker doesn’t want just any card in November; he wants the card, UFC 322, which takes place at Madison Square Garden. A welterweight title bout between Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev headlines that event. The co-feature is a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili. It’s a big card at a historic venue, and Wellmaker wants the chance to be a part of it all.
“That’s one of the biggest things you could do as a combat sports athlete,” Wellmaker said. “Being able to check something like that off the list in my third UFC fight would be incredible. So, I’m shooting for it. My management knows I want it, Sean (Shelby) and them know I want it, and hopefully they can do it for me.”
If Wellmaker can land a spot on the card, and manage to turn in another bonus-earning finish, there’s no telling how much his star power would grow. Just a few months ago, he was splitting time between training and working as a pipefitter. Even now, with just two UFC bouts under his belt, he’s already living a completely different life – and he didn’t expect everything to change so quickly.
“It’s funny because the people outside-in always say, ‘Man, it’s like he blew up overnight,’ and then all the fighters like, ‘No, no it wasn’t overnight. He trained for eight years, he did this, fought on the local scene,'” Wellmaker said. “It felt like overnight to me, too, you know what I mean? Literally, before Cameron Saaiman, I was virtually still a regional fighter, just a regional star. After that fight, and followed up six weeks later, it just absolutely exploded.
“My life now is almost unrecognizable to just four or five months ago. It’s crazy, it’s a whirlwind, it’s a rollercoaster – and it’s fast.”
