Malcolm Wellmaker reflects on recent three-fight skid: "Damn it burns"

Back on Oct. 10, Malcolm Wellmaker suffered a shocking TKO loss to Otari Tanzilovi. Although he briefly addressed the fans after the loss, he has now offered them a deeper look into his post-fight struggles.

Malcolm Wellmaker gets vulnerable with his fans

UFC Vegas 122 marked one of the most heartbreaking moments of Malcolm Wellmaker's career. In a bid to snap his then two-fight skid, he left his hometown gym in favor of the more high-profile American Top Team, which has been home to some of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Yet, his bout with Otari Tanzilovi didn't lead to the outcome he had expected.

Rather than a triumphant return to form, Wellmaker was TKO'd in round two, and now that he has had time to reflect on his performance, he penned a lengthy statement to his fans.

"After taking some time to let things settle and gather my thoughts, I have to be honest, this sh*t still really hurts. The whole storyline behind this fight was that I finally left my small-town gym and went to train with a world-class team. I left my hometown and everything I love behind to be the best fighter I can be... and I still lost... All that for nothing... At least that's how it felt."

Wellmaker goes on to talk about his dreams and aspirations. That it was never about wealth and fame, but about gaining the means to help his family.

"I never wanted the famous, flashy lifestyle or to be remembered as a legend. I just wanted to make it out and share the success with the people I love. Retire my family early, get my brothers out of a bind when they struggling, buy a real LV bag as a gift for my mom or auntie or something. Nothing crazy. I always try to be a stand-up guy. Honest, hard-working, humble, selfless, respectful. All that. But nothing is promised. And I'm okay with that. But damn it burns. So this is me giving myself closure, picking myself up and knocking off the dust, once again. Gotta move forward. Let's see what's next."

He was once a high-potential prospect, with a 9-0 record, including finishes over Cameron Saaiman and Kris Moutinho. Unfortunately, he ran into an exceptionally gifted fighter early on in Ethyn Ewing, losing via unanimous decision at UFC 322. It was a forgivable loss. Ewing is no scrub and is on a 10-fight win streak. Unfortunately, Wellmaker suffered a subsequent loss to UFC debutant Juan Diaz, who submitted him in round two at UFC Vegas 117. 

That loss is what prompted him to change gyms, but he hasn't yet gotten the results he needs, as he lost to Tanzilovi next. While Wellmaker's honest attitude is fundamental to his ability to assess his performances objectively, only time will tell if he'll recapture the magic of his initial run.