The curse continues to haunt the UFC. Like many times before in the promotion, just days before UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, the card has been struck by bad news. Highly touted prospect Malcolm Wellmaker was supposed to square off against Cody Haddon on the card, but the latter had to pull out of the fight. Why?

Well, according to reports, Cody Haddon was forced to withdraw at the last minute after suffering an injury during fight-week training. Naturally, the promotion scrambled to find a replacement, and luckily for them, someone stepped up. Who? Stepping in on short notice is Ethyn Ewing, who brings an 8–2 record into the matchup.

Malcolm Wellmaker has broken the silence since the replacement

Ewing is set to make his UFC debut on the year’s biggest card, stepping into a featherweight matchup against Malcolm Wellmaker. Following the update, Wellmaker released a statement addressing the late change in opponents. “My fight for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden against Cody Haddon is canceled,” he said in a video shared on Instagram. “I got the phone call this morning that last night, somehow, he broke his foot, and he cannot compete.”

“My new opponent is Ethyn Ewing. I know as much about him as y’all do, but he stepped up to take the fight. Shout out to him,” he added. “I still have my opportunity to fight at MSG this Saturday. To be honest, it really breaks my heart that I’m not competing against Cody Haddon anymore. I was looking forward to the challenge, the respect that I possibly could have gotten from performing the way I planned to, but I’m grateful to have a replacement.”

Wellmaker remained optimistic despite the setback. “So no worries. It’s the fight game and it’s God’s plan. So we still gonna put on the show,” he continued. “We still gonna have a good time. I will see you guys Saturday in New York at Madison Square Garden, UFC 322.” Ewing enters the bout riding momentum, coming off a first-round knockout at Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat 32 last weekend.

This last bout marked his eighth straight win, having gone undefeated since dropping his first two professional fights. Impressively, he has only gone the distance once, suggesting this short-notice matchup may deliver plenty of action. Meanwhile, Wellmaker joined the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series and has continued to rise, remaining unbeaten at 2–0 in the promotion. His most recent outing saw him stop Kris Moutinho with a brutal first-round knockout in June. 

This, of course, comes after Wellmaker was supposed to face off against Serhiy Sidey, but even that fight fell through due to injury. In the meantime, Malcolm Wellmaker can’t believe he found success in the UFC. 

Wellmaker reflects on his first year in the UFC

Malcolm Wellmaker’s first year in the UFC has been nothing short of surreal. After joining the promotion from Dana White’s Contender Series, he spent his early run juggling full-time work as a welder and pipefitter in Georgia. A pair of vicious knockouts and two $50,000 bonuses finally allowed him to leave that life behind. 

Looking back, Wellmaker admits he can’t believe he ever managed both. “I honestly could not even imagine competing at this level and having to work that kind of job,” he said. “If the me today fought the me while working that kind of job, there’s no way I could be even close to my true potential.” Now 2-0 in the UFC, he still struggles to process the rapid rise. 

“It’s crazier of a rookie year than I ever could have imagined,” Wellmaker said. With another big stage ahead at UFC 322, he’s determined to keep proving he belongs.

Having said that, despite the last-minute modification, Malcolm Wellmaker is looking forward to continuing his rapid rise in the UFC. But do you think Ethyn Ewing will cause problems?