Kris Moutinho took a big chance in 2021 when he quit his 80-hour-per-week job to fight Sean O’Malley. Unfortunately, the then green-haired fighter lost that fight as ‘Suga’ handed him a 3rd-round TKO defeat on his UFC debut. Moutinho would fight one more time, but succumbed to another knockout loss and would, thereafter, leave the promotion only to make his return to UFC Atlanta.

After three years, Sean O’Malley’s ex-rival seemed pretty confident prior to his second debut, as he claimed that it was inevitable. Claiming that he had made his adjustments after his first stint ended, Kris Moutinho said, “[I] worked on my flaws that I had last time and [I’m] just a more complete fighter now,” during the recent media day. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same, as Moutinho couldn’t hack it this time either.

Kris Moutinho had an uphill task on his second debut, as he took on the undefeated Malcolm Wellmaker. The proud Augusta native already had seven finishes out of his nine career wins, indicating that they weren’t going to be easy for Sean O’Malley’s ex-rival. And as the bell rang for the first round, Wellmaker was landing more strikes than Moutinho, who didn’t seem too comfortable.

The moment of reckoning arrived when the clock hit 2 minutes and 37 seconds of the opening round. Malcolm Wellmaker threw a body kick and then faked another to land a heavy right hand on Kris Moutinho, who missed the queue. When that heavy right hand landed, Sean O’Malley’s ex-rival got face planted on the mat, as Wellmaker made 10-0 in his record, and made a very good impression on the crowd in attendance.

Meanwhile, a few UFC fighters joined the fans in sharing their reactions to the fight. Not only were they shocked by how the fight went down, but they also sympathized with Kris Moutinho’s bad luck. Here’s what they had to say.

Pros and fans react to Sean O’Malley’s “poor” ex-rival

When lightweight star Renato Moicano saw Kris Moutinho fall flat on his face, he sounded skeptical about Dana White and Co.’s decision to sign O’Malley’s ex-rival again. “Bro wtf did they hire Moutinho again!? Just to see him get beat like that again?! Evil shit,” Moicano wrote on X. Meanwhile, former double champion Henry Cejudo looked on the major development of the fight. That’s, of course, the emergence of Malcolm Wellmaker, who now has 8 career finishes, with 6 of them being knockouts. “A star is born! Malcom Wellmaker is legit,” ‘Triple C’ wrote on social media.

On the other hand, some fans felt sorry for Kris Moutinho because he couldn’t catch a break. Maybe he could have had an easier opponent this time as one fan said, “Poor Kris, bro had to fight O’Malley and Wellmaker for his UFC Debut,” on X. Another user chimed into the conversation, and seemed impressed with Wellmaker’s ability to shut down Sean O’Malley’s ex-rival faster that ‘Suga’ did himself. “Did what sean o’malley couldn’t.” But those weren’t the only nice words fans shared for the undefeated fighter.

Fans were also impressed with Malcolm Wellmaker’s striking arsenal. From his kicks to his impactful right hand, fans loved it all. On that note, one fan commented, “This guy’s going to be a problem. He’s got great leg kicks and fantastic angles,” as another said, “That’s a nice right hand!” Well, what was your favorite thing about Wellmaker’s performance? But before you answer that, fans believe that maybe the undefeated 10-0 fighter could end up fighting Kris Moutinho’s ex-rival next. “O’Malley is next,” a user added.

While one man falls, another triumphs, and such is the game in any sport. Now, it will be interesting to see what’s next for Kris Moutinho after a 3rd knockout loss in his 3rd UFC fight.