Augusta’s burgeoning, still-undefeated MMA phenom is gearing up to fight in front his largest audience.
A month after winning his match with Cameron Saaiman in Kansas City, Malcolm “The Machine” Wellmaker accepted a short-notice match with Kris Moutinho, a Massachusetts-bred fighter who himself took an eleventh-hour bout with former Bantamweight UFC Champion Sean O’Malley in 2021.
“A lot of people learned who Kris Moutinho was in that fight,” said Wellmaker. “He’s pretty well known for being able to take a lot of damage, being a bully… hard to put away. And it’s a very exciting opportunity for me to show what I can do with a similar opportunity that he had in the past with Sean O’Malley.”
Though O’Malley won the match with Moutinho, four years ago, Moutinho earned some notoriety for his dogged resilience through the full three rounds. Wellmaker, who before being offered the upcoming card had already been maintaining his cardio and training for his next fight since his bout with Saaiman in April, says this match could make his own name ring out further.
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“After this fight it’s inevitable that everybody who knows who Kris Moutinho is and knows that he’s fought Sean O’Malley, will compare me to Sean O’Malley,” Wellmaker said. “And that’s, that’s a great compliment, especially if I can knock [Moutinho] out cold, which Sean O’Malley wasn’t able to do, I’ll really, really have some traction behind my name.”
Since defeating Adam Bramhald in a Las Vegas bout last fall, Wellmaker been on contract as a UFC fighter, and was able to quit his job as a pipefitter. Most of his days are spent training or recovering, with some time in between maintaining his social media presence. He expects to have to capitalize on his cardio for the upcoming fight, as Moutinho “has a style that forces you to use a lot of energy.”
There should be plenty of cheering for Wellmaker from back home, as his profile continues to rise.
“A lot of people tell me how proud of me they are,” he said. “I stop and have small conversations everywhere. Grocery stores, gyms everywhere. Man, it’s big support, the local support is way more than it already was, and it’s good.”
Malcolm Wellmaker will fight Kris Moutinho on Saturday, June 14 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
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Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
