Remember the story of Merab Dvalishvili? The bantamweight phenom who once balanced grueling construction shifts with UFC fights to make ends meet. Fast forward to today, he’s wiped out nearly the entire division and now reigns as the undisputed king at 135 lbs. History might just be repeating itself. Another undefeated bantamweight fighter is rising through the ranks. Meet Malcolm Wellmaker, Dana White‘s newest prospect who just left his laborious job to pursue UFC full-time. And the similarities with the champion don’t end there, because Wellmaker’s called ‘The Machine’ too!

A Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus, Wellmaker rose to prominence within the promotion when he made his UFC debut on April 26, securing a stunning first-round knockout against Cameron Saaiman. His powerful right hook became the highlight of the night, earning him a performance bonus from the UFC. And guess what? That bonus was enough for him to finally leave his old job as a pipe welder.

At the UFC Atlanta media day, Wellmaker revealed, “Yeah, I didn’t really have to explain myself too much, I literally had on sweatpants and a hoodie, you know? Everybody else is wearing their hard tool boots and everything, and I sat down at the table, I stopped and grabbed biscuits on the way to work, and they knew. Everybody who was at my job was supporting me.”

He further added, “They watched the fight, they knew what my aspirations were, and they knew what position I could be in if I got the bonus, so, we literally sat at the table for about an hour. I mean, they stopped work, we had a good farewell, we talked about all the memories, we talked about what’s next, and I rounded up my tools and went home, you know? It was a very positive experience.”

Riding an undefeated record of 9 wins and 0 losses, Malcolm Wellmaker has finished most of his opponents in his professional career and is now looking to make a name for himself inside the Octagon. Following his successful UFC debut, ‘The Machine’ is eager to cross paths with Kris Moutinho at UFC Atlanta — and he’s certainly excited for the challenge.

Malcolm Wellmaker ready for Kris Moutinho test

UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby had to dig deep to find an opponent for Malcolm Wellmaker — but he finally succeeded. Guess who he found? ‘Soulless’ is back in the UFC. Kris Moutinho, who earned widespread praise from the MMA community for stepping in on a day’s notice to fight Sean O’Malley at UFC 264 four years ago, was previously released from the promotion following back-to-back losses. However, it seems the UFC had no choice but to bring him back to test the undefeated Malcolm Wellmaker.

Reacting to this, Malcolm, during his conversation with MMAJunkie, stated, “I already knew what kind of guy he was based off the knowledge I had about him. But for him to take a fight with me on 11 days’ notice, obviously seeing what I did in my last fight, I can only respect him and be glad that he was willing to fight me.”

He further added, “I watched him fight Sean O’Malley live. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, he’s got a chin on him.’ It was an exciting fight, and I actually somewhat became a fan of him. I remember watching him afterward eating the ice cream sandwich seeming like a humble guy. Yeah, it was a name I was 100 percent familiar with when I got the call.”

With just a day left before the fight, Malcolm Wellmaker will be looking to extend his undefeated streak to a perfect ten, while Moutinho sees this as a golden opportunity to return to the UFC win column. Riding a five-fight winning streak, all via finishes, it would be unwise to underestimate the American. Given the stakes, both fighters will be hungry for victory. But who will be the last man standing? That’s the question.