TLDR
- Malcolm Wellmaker admits he underestimated Ethyn Ewing before suffering his first UFC loss in November 2025
- After losing two straight fights, Wellmaker moved from his Georgia gym to American Top Team in Florida
- The 32-year-old bantamweight started his UFC career 2-0 with knockout wins before dropping his last two bouts
- Wellmaker said leaving his longtime coaches and training partners was like “telling your mother somebody can do your job better”
- He faces Otari Tanzilovi at UFC Vegas 122 on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas
Sources: sherdog.com | ufc.com.br | mmamania.com
Malcolm Wellmaker admits he made a costly mistake that contributed to his current two-fight losing streak in the UFC. The 32-year-old bantamweight says he underestimated Ethyn Ewing before their November 2025 fight at Madison Square Garden.
“My confidence was a little bit high,” Wellmaker said in a prefight interview. “I respected him, but not enough.”
Wellmaker will face Otari Tanzilovi at UFC Vegas 122 on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Both fighters enter the bout with identical 10-2 records.
"Never let a win go to your head, and never let a loss go to your heart."
Malcolm Wellmaker (@WallaTheMachine) believes a mentality shift and move to American Top Team will help him return to form at #UFCVegas122.
Fight By Fight Preview ➡️ https://t.co/QO9ltlLz7T pic.twitter.com/futrKGbUUL
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 8, 2026
The Augusta, Georgia native started his UFC career with two first-round knockout wins over Cameron Saaiman and Kris Moutinho. He earned Performance of the Night bonuses for both victories and appeared to be a rising star in the 135-pound division.
Then Ewing accepted a fight against Wellmaker on just 48 hours’ notice and handed him a unanimous decision loss. Six months later, Juan Diaz submitted Wellmaker in the second round in May 2026, dropping his UFC record to 2-2.
Leaving Home Behind
The back-to-back losses forced Wellmaker to make a difficult decision. He left his longtime gym, Faglier’s Mixed Martial Arts in Augusta, to join American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
“It was so hard for people to understand how difficult a decision it was,” Wellmaker said. “Imagine telling your mother, ‘I think there’s somebody that can do your job better.’ That’s how it felt.”
Wellmaker trained at Faglier’s from his first day in mixed martial arts through earning his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024. He refers to Jason Faglier Sr. as “Pops” and considered his coaches and teammates family.
The loss to Diaz shook his confidence in ways the Ewing defeat did not. “With Juan, brother, I had six months. No name changes. It was just him, and I still fell short,” Wellmaker said. “That was what put everything in perspective for me.”
Wellmaker said limited training resources at his home gym made it difficult to prepare for UFC-level competition. He was driving four hours round trip to Atlanta twice a week just for boxing sessions.
“I think there is no shortage of knowledge at my gym at home, but availability of my coaches — all of them work full-time jobs, they have families, mouths to feed,” Wellmaker explained.
New Training Partners and Approach
At American Top Team, Wellmaker now trains with coaches Steve Mocco, Pedro Munoz, and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. He has access to multiple training partners who compete in the UFC and other major organizations.
“I got my a** whooped for three or four weeks straight,” Wellmaker said, laughing about his early sparring sessions. “Before I left for this fight — I’m not saying I was whoopin’ a**, but I wasn’t getting it like I was before.”
The coaching staff has helped Wellmaker shift his mindset from trying to win every round to executing a game plan. Lawal told him to focus on working specific techniques rather than just chasing victories in training.
Wellmaker plans to maintain his aggressive knockout-hunting style while fighting more strategically. “I need to go in there, still be aggressive, still try to put this power on people, knock them out cold, but, you know, just do it in a more strategic manner,” he said.
The bantamweight said his former coaches at Faglier’s handled his departure with grace and continue to support him. He speaks with them regularly and credits them with helping shape who he is today.
Wellmaker faces Tanzilovi on the UFC Vegas 122 main card this Saturday night. The event is headlined by Brendan Allen versus Christian Leroy Duncan.
