Local UFC fighter to make his first appearance in the octagon
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Two months ago, Augusta’s Malcolm Wellmaker got the call he was waiting for. A message telling him where and when he was going to step in the octagon for his first contracted UFC fight.
That wait now ends Saturday in Kansas City.
“I mean, I get recognized so much more, so many more people have come to the gym to train because they’ve been inspired by what I’ve accomplished,” said Malcolm Wellmaker, local UFC fighter, Faglier’s Gym.
Wellmaker went from a union pipe welder in Augusta to a UFC rookie.
“I have not just this opportunity, but multiple opportunities to show them what I can do,” said Wellmaker.
Four contracted fights, and up first, Cameron Saaiman from South Africa.
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“Immediately, the first thing to do is start studying film, you know, we start looking at who we are fighting, what’s their style, what can we expect, what’s some some things we can put into play to find some counters and some knockout shots,” said Wellmaker.
Betting books have the machine as the favorite.
“It kind of pushes you to want to go out there and prove them, right, and even if they think you’re gonna lose, I mean it gives you a reason to train harder, so I try not to let it get to me too much, but every fighter looks at it,” he said.
He’s already beaten one set of odds as nobody in this area is competing on this level.
The whole time I’ve been a fighter, people’s predictions have always been a part of what kind of gets into your head to make you think about what people expect from you or what odds you’re against. So, it’s always fun to see what the public opinion is, and especially when people have confidence in you, it kind of pushes you to want to go out there and prove them, right? And even if they think you’re gonna lose, it gives you a reason to train harder. So I try not to let it get to me too much, but every fighter looks at it,” said Wellmaker.
“It just makes me humble, man,” said Wellmaker. “It’s such a big fight, I mean, it’s on the hugest stage in the world as far as mixed martial arts goes. “I’m gonna be on ESPN, you know, Dana White, you know, possibly even Bruce Buffer could be saying my name in the octagon. It’s humbling.”
Wellmakers’ fight is in the bantamweight division at 6 p.m. on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card.
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