Malcolm Wellmaker Has His Next Opponent Booked for October 10th
Malcolm Wellmaker has booked his next fight. “The Machine” will take on Otari Tanzilovi on October 10 at the UFC META APEX.
The Rise of Malcolm Wellmaker:
This time last year, Malcolm Wellmaker was viewed as one of the hottest prospects in MMA and a potential future star. He earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, knocking out Adam Bramhald with a vicious right hook. He carried that momentum into his promotional debut, stopping Cameron Saaiman in the first round with—once again—a devastating right hook.
Fighting in front of his hometown crowd in Atlanta, Wellmaker improved to 2-0 in the UFC by knocking out Kris Moutinho in the opening round. For the third straight fight, his signature right hook produced another highlight-reel finish.
Three fights. Three first-round knockouts. Three finishes with the same weapon. Fans quickly began viewing Malcolm Wellmaker as a future bantamweight contender.
Malcolm Wellmaker: Fraud Checked?
Last November, Wellmaker was scheduled to face Serhiy Sidey at UFC 322 in Madison Square Garden—a significant step up in competition. The UFC clearly believed in his star potential and wanted to showcase him on one of its biggest stages. However, Sidey dislocated his shoulder and withdrew from the bout.
The promotion then matched Wellmaker with Cody Haddon, a talented wrestler who presented a completely different stylistic challenge. Just one week before the event, Haddon broke his foot and was also forced to withdraw.
Determined to keep Wellmaker on one of the year’s biggest cards, UFC matchmakers signed regional standout Ethyn Ewing on short notice. Ewing entered with an 8-2 professional record, but as a relatively unknown newcomer, Wellmaker opened as a -420 favorite. The expectation was simple: another violent knockout, preferably in the first round, with his trademark right hook providing the finishing touch.
Instead, the fight unfolded in shocking fashion.
Ewing pushed an exhausting pace from the opening bell, forcing Wellmaker to fight primarily off his back foot. Whenever the fight hit the mat, Ewing consistently stayed one step ahead in the grappling exchanges. After three rounds, Ewing earned a unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut, leaving many fans wondering if Wellmaker had been fraud-checked.
His next appearance did little to quiet those concerns.
Wellmaker was once again matched with a UFC newcomer, this time against Dana White’s Contender Series alum Juan Diaz II. Diaz wasted little time getting the fight to the ground, where he controlled the action before securing a second-round submission victory.
Where We Stand:
That brings us to today, with fans questioning Wellmaker’s true ceiling.
There’s no doubt he possesses a fight-ending right hand capable of putting anyone to sleep. There’s also little doubt that his grappling remains a glaring weakness. If Wellmaker hopes to one day crack the bantamweight rankings, that’s the area of his game that must improve.
With all due respect, Otari Tanzilovi represents a step down in competition.
Tanzilovi competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, where he dropped a split decision to Josias Musasa. After bouncing back with a victory on the regional circuit, he signed with the UFC last month but lost his promotional debut to Shane Collins.
This is a pivotal fight for Wellmaker.
A victory would allow him to rebuild his momentum and resume his climb toward the rankings. Another loss, however, would likely convince many fans that they overestimated his potential and that he may not be UFC-caliber.
The booking also confirms that the UFC’s October 10 event will take place at the UFC META APEX. As of now, Wellmaker vs. Tanzilovi is the only fight announced for the card.
