Athletes
Malcolm Wellmaker Is Here To Stay
After Securing A Knockout Win In His UFC Debut, Malcolm Wellmaker Hopes To Deliver An Even More Stunning Performance In His Home State At UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley
Interviewing 101. Don’t waste time with icebreakers when you can get right to the point.
Malcolm Wellmaker, how did it feel to quit your job as a union pipefitter after your Performance of the Night knockout of Cameron Saaiman in April?
“It’s been incredible, man,” Wellmaker beamed. “I still can't believe things went as well as they did for me to be able to walk away from my job.”
GET YOUR TICKETS: UFC Atlanta | UFC Baku | UFC 317 | UFC Nashville
It’s all I needed to know. When I talked with the 31-year-old bantamweight prospect, this was the main topic of conversation, how he juggled being a professional prizefighter with a grueling gig as a pipefitter. Suffice to say, it wasn’t easy, so I asked if he thought about the day when he was going to give his two weeks’ notice. He said if he got a bonus against Saaiman, it was going to be two-days’ notice. He hit his mark in less than two minutes, and when he walked into the job on the following Monday, it was without his work gear.
“I had on sweatpants and a hoodie,” he laughs. “I didn't have on my work pants, I didn't have on my pearl snap. And I sat down at a table and I was like, ‘Well, guys, this is it.’ I grabbed biscuits on the way to work, we sat there, we ate biscuits together and we hung out. And after about an hour or so, just having a good farewell, I got all my tools and I got out of there.”
Did the tools make it home, or did they get dumped somewhere, never to be heard from again?
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
“I got a little shed out back and I threw 'em out there. If I had to, I could round them all up and be back on the road in an hour. But I don't plan on it.”
That’s a pretty good bet. After a spectacular effort on Dana White’s Contender Series, he was even better in his UFC debut against a legitimate foe, and his upside is high heading into his second Octagon appearance, where he will face returning Kris Moutinho. Yeah, he’s back already, so hopefully he wasn’t hitting the biscuits too hard over the last month and change.
Malcolm Wellmaker Earns First-Round KO In His Debut | UFC Kansas City
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Malcolm Wellmaker Earns First-Round KO In His Debut | UFC Kansas City
/
“I did for about a week, but I shook out of it,” he laughs. “Life got too good for a second.”
Truth be told, it’s still good, especially since his fight this weekend is in Atlanta, a two-hour drive from his home in Augusta.
MORE UFC ATLANTA: Last Time In Atlanta | Fighters On The Rise | Fight By Fight Preview
“It's big for me, fighting in Georgia,” Wellmaker said. “Pretty much all my family's going to be there. Most of my friends will be there and half of the people that's ever watched me fight regionally told me they got their tickets as soon as the fight was announced. So it's big.”
And there was no hesitation when he got the call about the bout, biscuit binging notwithstanding.
“I knew I was taking the fight,” he said. “I trained as if I could possibly be fighting and I maintained my weight well enough that I'd be within striking distance of hitting the scales. Obviously, it wasn't as easy for me to keep my weight as low as it was when you have a name and you have a date. But I was mindful, so when the phone call came, there were no second thoughts. It was, yeah, let's do it and I'm going to make the weight and I'm going to be there.”
On Friday morning, Wellmaker weighed in at 136, like a pro. And despite his one-punch stopping power, he approached the Saaiman bout the same way. Sure, he was confident, but he also knew the potential danger ahead.
View Wellmaker's Athlete Profile
“I respected who he was a ton,” said Wellmaker. “I think the people who know UFC, who know the bantamweight division, everybody knew who he was. He won a performance bonus in the past and the people he lost to were very respected names. It was a test, and it wasn't a spoon-fed fight at all. So it meant all that to me and it made the point.”
It certainly did. And not just that Wellmaker belonged in the big show.
“That one was beyond just saying I belong here,” he said. “I think it showed people that not only do I belong here, but I'm here to stay. I'm going to knock off some names while I'm here. I'm going to get some money and some bonuses, and I'm going to be somebody you guys remember, it was better than just the confirmation I needed. It was all that and more.”
Saturday’s fight has a similar feel for Wellmaker, who knows that despite Moutinho’s 0-2 Octagon slate, one of those appearances was in a Fight of the Night with Sean O’Malley, and since his last UFC bout, the New Englander is 5-0 with five finishes.
“He proved to everybody in the world that he has a heart that you can't teach,” said Wellmaker of Moutinho. “He obviously has durability that's unquestionable. And even though he didn't stay long in his first time here, he went to the regional scene and showed that he's better than those guys and he came right back, taking another tough fight. So I respect this kid, I respect what he's capable of, and I'm going in with the same mentality I had for Cameron Saaiman. He's a legit ‘35er, a legit UFC fighter, and I have to go in on my A game.”
He'd better be on that A game, because his former workmates will be on hand to watch him.
“There’s going to be a ton of pipefitters in the building,” Wellmaker said. “It might get a little rowdy.”
UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley took place live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags