Wellmaker Opens Up After a Third Straight UFC Loss

Malcolm Wellmaker has spoken publicly about his third consecutive UFC defeat. He did it in a post on Instagram.

The bantamweight lost at UFC Vegas 122 on October 10 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. His opponent was Otari Tanzilovi of Georgia.

Wellmaker started well and stunned Tanzilovi in round one. Then a head kick ended the fight.

Earlier, he had issued a short statement to assure family and friends that he was okay. Since then, he has been processing the loss.

“After taking some time to let things settle and gather my thoughts, I have to be honest, this shit still really hurts,” Wellmaker wrote on Instagram. “The whole storyline behind this fight was that I finally left my small-town gym and went to train with a world-class team. I left my hometown and everything I love behind to be the best fighter I can be … and I still lost … All that for nothing … At least that’s how it felt.”

From two knockouts to three losses

Wellmaker began his UFC run with momentum. Two knockouts helped establish him as a bright new talent. Then he met Ethyn Ewing, a short-notice opponent, who handed him his first professional defeat. One fight later, another debuting opponent choked him out.

Before UFC Vegas 122, he uprooted his life and switched to American Top Team to rebuild his career.

In his post, Wellmaker described what he wants from fighting. “I never wanted the famous, flashy lifestyle or to be remembered as a legend,” he wrote. “I just wanted to make it out and share the success with the people I love. Retire my family early, get my brothers out of a bind when they struggling, buy a real LV bag as a gift for my mom or auntie or something. Nothing crazy.”

He also wrote: “But nothing is promised. And I’m okay with that. But damn it burns.” He closed by saying he was giving himself closure and would pick himself up once again. “Gotta move forward. Let’s see what’s next.”

At the time of writing, there had been no news about a UFC release for Wellmaker.

Source: MMA Mania