UFC Kansas City recently concluded with a Bantamweight fighter making his debut, devastatingly winning via knockout. The fighter had been working as a welder and had vowed to quit his job if he won a post-fight bonus.
The fighter in question is Malcolm “The Machine” Wellmaker, who defeated Cameron Saaiman in the prelims of the fight night. The first-round knockout victory earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Fight Fans Applaud Malcolm Wellmaker for Quitting Job After UFC Kansas City Victory
In the post-fight press conference of UFC Kansas City, Wellmaker promised to quit his job if he won the Performance of the Night bonus, which amounts to $50 K. Staying true to his word, he did the same.
The 30-year-old announced the news through his Instagram. “So many people bought into my story so here’s an update: I just quit my job! Saturday night I made my UFC debut, scored a first round knockout and earned a $50k performance bonus. Today I became a full-time fighter,” Wellmaker captioned the post.
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Fight fans on social media hailed “The Machine,” for staying true to his word.
“Living the dream! What a beautiful sight to see, keep going superstar!” a fan commented.
“All of Georgia behind you, bro!” a second fan wrote.
An inspired fan wrote, “real deal motivation.”
A fan applauded Wellmaker’s hard work, writing: “It’s amazing! You put in so much work! Proud of you brother!!!”
“Happy for you bro,” a fan wrote, while another commented: “inspiring.”
The Bantamweight shared that he started his job as a welder in 2015 as an apprentice. Soon after, he took it on full-time but always chased his dream of becoming a UFC fighter. Even before fighting for the UFC, Wellmaker had vowed to quit his job if he won a bonus.
Despite quitting, the 30-year-old has no ill will towards his old job. “I will always be grateful to the trade. It helped me mature from a boy to a man, it brought lifelong friends into my life, and I learned a skillset I can always fall back on, no matter what happens,” Wellmaker added.
“The Machine” hopes he won’t ever have to return to his original trade, but he admits he won’t be sad if he does have to.
MMA Fighters React to Malcolm Wellmaker’s Move After UFC Kansas City
With Wellmaker announcing that he is quitting his job as a pipe-fitting welder, several big names from the MMA world congratulated him in the comments section of his Instagram post.
Jamahal Hill, the former undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight champion, disclosed that the bonuses would take over a month to reflect in his bank account.
“Respect and Congrats my friend,” Merab Dvalishvili, the UFC bantamweight champion, wrote.
“Well earned,” Dan Ige, the UFC featherweight contender, commented.
“Best of luck bro,” Amir Albazi, the UFC flyweight contender, wrote.
“Congrats, bro.” Brandon Royval, another flyweight contender, commented.
“Congrats man. Make a good run in the UFC,” John Dodson, a two-time flyweight title challenger, wrote.
“Congrats my friend…,” Jens Pulver, former Lightweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer, commented.
As for his next fight, Wellmaker has expressed interest in competing at UFC Atlanta, headlined by Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley. Dana White seemingly agreed with the idea in the post-fight press conference.