Wellmaker opens up on UFC losing streak after uprooting family to join American Top Team

Malcolm Wellmaker has broken his silence on a painful stretch of form, reflecting on the personal sacrifices that preceded his knockout defeat to Otari Tanzilovi at UFC Vegas 122 — a loss that dropped his promotional record to 2-3 and extended his losing run to three fights.

The bantamweight, known as “The Machine,” earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024 and made an immediate impression, finishing each of his first two opponents inside the opening round. His fortunes turned sharply in November when Ethyn Ewing handed him his first professional defeat by unanimous decision, and both of his 2026 outings have since ended by stoppage.

Ahead of the Tanzilovi fight, Wellmaker made a significant life change, leaving Faglier’s MMA in Augusta, Georgia — the gym where he had built his career — and moving his family to Florida to train at American Top Team, one of the sport’s most decorated facilities. The result made that sacrifice feel hollow, at least initially.

“The whole storyline behind this fight was that I finally left my small-town gym and went to train with a world-class team,” Wellmaker wrote on Instagram. “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.”

Wellmaker was candid about what has always driven him — not fame or recognition, but financial security for the people closest to him. “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.”

Despite the raw emotion, Wellmaker framed the post as a step toward moving on rather than dwelling on the setback. “This is me giving myself closure, picking myself up and knocking off the dust, once again,” he added. “Gotta move forward. Let’s see what’s next.”

Now 10-3 as a professional, Wellmaker faces a pivotal moment in his UFC tenure. Three straight losses will test the promotion’s patience, but his willingness to make major changes — and to speak honestly about the cost of those changes — suggests a fighter still fully committed to turning his career around.