Malcolm Wellmaker will make his return to the octagon this Saturday at UFC Vegas 117, looking to rebound after his first professional defeat against Ethyn Ewing late last year. He is scheduled to face UFC newcomer Juan Diaz in the featured bout at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight provides Wellmaker with an immediate opportunity to recover from a decision loss. Prior to that setback, he had built momentum with consecutive knockout victories over Cameron Saaiman and Kris Moutinho.
Wellmaker’s Reaction to His First Career Loss
Wellmaker expressed his desire to return to competition quickly after the loss. However, the extended time away prompted a shift in his approach. Instead of rushing back, he and his coaches focused on technical improvements, prioritising mental sharpening over increased output.
“It was tough, man, because last year I competed really frequently and I was itching to get back in there,” Wellmaker said during media day. “I was calling my manager asking about this day, asking about that day, but after I realized it was going to be a little bit longer, I took advantage of that time.”
Changes in Training Approach
The main change involved his training regimen after transitioning to a full-time fighter last year. Wellmaker said he had gone from balancing 40-50 hour work weeks with training to an overloaded schedule of two-a-day sessions every day for seven days when he initially embraced life as a full-time athlete.
“I overshot it,” he said. “That is so unrealistic. I got to a point where I wasn’t able to maintain that type of output — burnout and small injuries. I learned there is a fine line.”
A Developmental Layoff
That reset became a beneficial aspect of his time away from the sport. “So the time turned out to be very developmental for me,” he said, which has resulted in a fighter returning with the same knockout ambition, but with a revised training approach.
- Technical improvements
- Mental sharpening
- Revised training approach
Diaz steps in as the opponent on the other side of Wellmaker’s adjustment. For Wellmaker, the fight is not about reviving a storyline, but rather proving that the changes he’s made will hold up against a newcomer in a featured slot at UFC Vegas 117. He still aims for another knockout, but this time it will come after a break that compelled him to slow down and rebuild instead of simply chasing the next fight date.