UFC newcomer Malcolm Wellmaker recalls key early career motivation from Jorge Masvidal
UFC newcomer Malcolm Wellmaker recalls key early career motivation from Jorge Masvidal
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UFC's Malcolm Wellmaker recalls Jorge Masvidal's motivating message
UFC bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker speaks to MMA Junkie Radio following his debut victory at UFC on ESPN 66 in Kansas City, Mo.
Malcolm Wellmaker will never forget his UFC debut, and the motivating factor that helped him believe he could become a star in MMA.
At UFC on ESPN 66, Wellmaker (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) impressed in his UFC debut with a vicious first-round knockout of Cameron Saaiman. It was a moment that he will never forget, not only because it was his UFC debut, but the Performance of the Night bonus he pocketed for the knockout allowed him to quit his job to focus on fighting full time.
Today, Wellmaker is as confident a bantamweight you'll come across, but before he reached this level, he recalls a message from a UFC BMF who helped him believe he could achieve big success as a fighter after just his second professional fight.
"It was my second pro fight when I fought for Jorge Masvidal," Wellmaker told MMA Junkie Radio. "Biggest opportunity I had – I had First Round reach out to me for the opportunity to fight on his show. I had never even met a UFC fighter before. So, I got that opportunity, I went out there, put on a show. Jorge gave me a $1,000 cash bonus for the knockout.
"I walked away from that fight night and I believed him when he told me I could be great, that I could do some good things. Ever since then, I believed in my heart that I could make it to this level and do this."
That night on Aug. 5, 2022, at iKON FC 4, Wellmaker knocked out Langston Sykes with a left hook in the first round. It was one of five finishes in his first seven fights that earned him a call to Dana White's Contender Series last August, where he knocked out Adam Bramhald to earn a UFC contract. He would go on to make the most of his debut with another statement knockout, one that he knew would happen.
"Me and my coaches 100 percent believed it was going to be a right hand that knocked him out," Wellmaker said. "We definitely didn't think it would be that early, and the reason why is we expected him to come in and wrestle. ... Fortunately, he never even level changed to try to shoot for a takedown, so it came a lot faster."
The knockout came fast, and so did a major life change. Just a couple of days after his fight, Wellmaker quit his job as a pipefitter welder, which he admits is a bit scary, but he believes it's a necessary move in order to elevate his game to the fullest potential.
"It's weird to think that I don't have to do that anymore and my bills are still going to be paid," Wellmaker said. "It's bittersweet, too, because the guys I worked with are like family to me. I've been at the job I'm at now for over two years. These guys have been a part of my life for so long. We've been going through Christmases together, they've been to my baby shower – I love these guys. ... It's bittersweet, but all of them want to see me win. It's good, man. I'm gonna go out there and try to make them all proud."
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