Only a couple of ranked fighters on the main card of this one, with the main event seeing (#7) Arnold Allen proving he still belongs amongst the elites of the featherweight division with his five round unanimous decision shut out of the ascending (#12) Melquizael Costa on Saturday. Some interesting matchups to come out of this event!

Melquizael Costa

Arnold Allen secured the unanimous decision victory in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday. It was the grappling and transitions that sealed the defeat for Costa, as he has his six-fight win streak snapped. Melquizael is now 7-3 with the UFC.

The best next fight for Costa here is to have him take on (#8) Youssef Zalal. This matchup was featured in a previous losers article and it makes even more sense with the outcome on Saturday. Timing makes sense too, as Zalal just fought on UFC Vegas 116 on April 25th. Zalal also lost a unanimous decision snapping a lengthy (8-fight) win streak. And Zalal also lost against higher ranked competition in the form of Aljamain Sterling. Perfect reset fight for both of them, that could potentially be a fight night main or co main event. Both are coming off of their first UFC main events. Both bring the action on the feet and are relatively new faces within the upper ranks of the featherweight division. Easy one to book for matchmakers.

Costa’s next fight: (#8) Youssef Zalal

Daniel Santos

Doo Ho Choi delivered yet another thrilling fight and victory on Saturday as he engaged in a war with Daniel Santos before delivering the TKO in the second round, crumpling his opponent with body shots. This fight ended up winning fight of the night honors but snapped a four-fight win streak for Daniel Santos. Santos is now 4-2 in the UFC with his only other loss with the promotion coming in his debut back in 2022 to Julio Arce.

Daniel’s next fight should be against Morgan Charriere. That would be an excellent high-action scrap. Charriere is also coming off of a stoppage loss. The timing doesn’t exactly matchup here as Morgan’s loss came to Melquizael Costa back in December. However, it was a head kick finish while Santos was put away predominately with body shots, so maybe it could work out. Morgan is a bonus machine and in his 6-fight UFC career he already has four bonuses. (Santos has two bonuses in six fights). These guys matchup well and have similar records with the promotion as Charriere is 3-3. This would be a strong standup  matchup that has quick-twitch violence written all over it.

Santos’s next fight: Morgan Charriere

Malcolm Wellmaker

Juan Diaz pulled off the big upset on Saturday with his second round submission victory of Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC Vegas 117. The finish even earned Diaz a performance bonus. Devastating outcome for Wellmaker here, as the 2024 Contender Series alum has watched nearly all of his hype and momentum evaporate since last November. After his first round finish on the Contender Series and two subsequent first round finishes to start his career with the UFC, things were looking up (All of those finishes came via a mean check-right hook too). Last November, after losing multiple opponent,  Malcolm took on last second fill in, Ethyn Ewing, and lost his first pro fight via unanimous decision. Now the outcome on Saturday. Rough for Wellmaker, and its time to reset.

Malcolm’s next fight should be against Timmy Cuamba. Went back and forth with this one (potentially Kai Asakura if he’s badly beaten and finished by Cameron Smootherman.) But the Timmy fight is way more attractive for Malcolm here. Timing would be great too, as Timmy lost earlier on the main card and was also finished.

Kai is a decent backup as he has a name within the sport but has not performed since being signed to the UFC. Asukura is 0-2 since being signed from RIZIN in 2024. He lost his promotional debut title shot opposite of Alexandre Pantoja and lost to Tim Elliot. If Kai loses to a 2023 Contender Series product who is 1-2 with the UFC in Smotherman, well he could potentially be cut. But Wellmaker could be a decent choice in that scenario too, maybe even for Cameron, depending on how the fight ends. That bout is on May 30 so timing would be great too. Still options there for Wellmaker, but he badly needs a win.

Wellmaker’s next fight: Timmy Cuamba or Kai Asukura if he loses to Cameron Smotherman

Christian Edwards

Modestas Bukauskas edged out his short notice replacement, Christian Edwards, on the main card of UFC Vegas 117 to capture the split decision victory. Edwards was making his UFC debut on short notice after Rodolfo Bellato, the originally scheduled opponent of Modestas, withdrew. Also part of the reason that this fight was a catchweight bout at 215lbs. Not a bad showing/debut for Edwards who now falls to 8-5 in his pro MMA career.

Christian should fight Bruno Lopes for his next fight. Bruno is a 2024 Contender Series alum that has gone 1-2 with the promotion. He’s 14-3 as a pro. Lopes is currently riding a 2-fight skid, he was finished in the first round by Dustin Jacoby and was stopped in his last time out by Navajo Stirling back in late March. Bruno’s only win in the UFC came against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov in 2025. Great matchup here for both fighters to try and find their footing within the light heavyweight division.

Edwards’s next fight: Bruno Lopes

Timmy Cuamba

Benardo Sopaj delivered an exciting bout with his opponent, Timmy Cuamba, on Saturday before dropping his opponent and scrambling on the rear naked choke to log a second round submission victory. Timmy, a 2023 Contender Series veteran now falls below the .500 line in the UFC, as he’s 2-3. This loss snapped the 2-fight winning steak that Timmy had amassed in the calendar year of 2025.

Timmy should look for a fight against Ricky Turcios here. This would be a good move for Timmy as Ricky was on the Contender Series in 2017 but also was the The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner. Turcios has a decent name but is 2-4 with the promotion. He’s actually riding a 3-fight losing streak. The losses have been against Raul Rosas Jr., Benardo Sopaj and most recently, Alberto Montes, on March 7. So the timing wouldn’t be too bad and they have a recent common opponent. Good high action scrap to make here. But of course lots of options in that bantamweight division for Timmy.

Cuamba’s next fight: Ricky Turcios or Malcolm Wellmaker

Nikolay Veretennikov

Khaos Williams returned to form after a 2-fight skid rendering his opponent, Nikolay Veretennikov, unable to continue with a right hook to log a first round finish. The stoppage didn’t produce a bonus but Nikolay is now 2-4 with the UFC all the same. His victories include a split decision win over Francisco Prado and a first round stoppage against the now-retired, Niko Price. Plainly said, he’s yet to get a win against a current UFC caliber fighter.

Great next fight for Nikolay would be against Chidi Njokuani. Chidi is on a 2-fight losing skid. Jake Matthews choked him out in the first round of their July 2025 bout, and most recently, Chidi lost a unanimous decision to Carlos Leal back in February. Njokuani is a 2021 Contender Series alum that has a 5-5 record with the UFC.

Back up here would be a matchup against Jean-Paul Lebsnoyani. Lebsnoyani is 1-0 with the promotion since being signed off last year’s season of the Contender Series. His debut was a split decision victory over Phil Rowe who was cut from the promotion after losing. Jean-Paul was originally supposed to debut against former Bellator standout, Austin Vanderford.

Veretennikov’s next fight: Chidi Njokuani or Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani 

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Peru’s Diaz was making his promotional debut after winning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last October.

Diaz came out active early, chopping away with kicks to start the fight. He had trouble really landing clean, though, and seemed a bit hesitant to fully commit with Wellmaker’s power in mind. Wellmaker was just as patient, not throwing much unless the opening was there, but when he did, it counted—especially a couple of thudding body kicks that stood out more than anything Diaz was landing.

As the round went on, Wellmaker started to apply a bit more pressure, which pushed Diaz into changing levels for a takedown. Diaz was able to drag Wellmaker down a few times and even score some mat returns, but Wellmaker stayed composed, doing a good job preventing Diaz from threatening the back.

They separated in the closing seconds, and things got chaotic right up to the bell. Diaz actually dropped Wellmaker with a right hand after catching a kick, and as Wellmaker was getting back to his feet, Diaz landed a close illegal knee that came very near impact.

Into round two, Diaz once again caught a kick and fired back with that right hand. He followed it up with a right to the body as Wellmaker continued to fight at a low output. As Wellmaker tried to press forward, Diaz immediately changed levels and secured a quick takedown. He put Wellmaker in a tough position and gradually worked into top control.

Wellmaker eventually fought up to a knee and used the cage to get back to his feet, but Diaz stayed attached, dragged him down again, and took the back. From there, he locked in the rear-naked choke and forced the tap, pulling off a huge upset finish.

Official Result: Juan Diaz def. Malcolm Wellmaker by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:08

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Few predicted Ethyn Ewing would get the win over Wellmaker (10-1) last November at UFC 322, but he’s since become something of a prospect killer. As for Wellmaker, it’s been six months since that fight, something he has attempted to use to his advantage.

While the media didn’t turn out in Las Vegas this week thanks to the Rousey vs. Carano card on Netflix, Wellmaker still answered questions on Wednesday ahead of the bout.

On the extra time off after his last fight

“It was tough, because last year I competed really frequently, and I was itching to get back in there. I was calling my manager, asking about this date, asking about that date. And after I realized it was going to be a little bit longer, I took advantage of that time. I settled down, I talked to my coaches and we focused on technical improvements. Sharpening the mind instead of going super hard and breaking down the body as if I’m preparing for a fight. So the time turned out ot be very developmental for me.”

What has the last 12 to 15 months been like?

“It’s been crazy because it’s not been like the last 30 years of my life. I became an actual full time athlete, I fought frequently on the biggest stages, I made a ton of money, still am compared to what I was. And I got to be active, I got to be relevant, I got to rub shoulders with so many big names and to really get a taste of what it’s like to really embrace this new role that I have in my job. And then when things slowed down, believe it or not it still looks so different than it used to. I’m still full time training, I’m super committed to my teammates as well, helping them in their camps. I’ve got a couple young guys that I’m helping develop, and I’m spending a lot of time as an athlete studying film. I’m spending a lot of time doing slow technical jiu-jitsu, slow technical boxing. So even then with the past six months compared to the six months before that, it was still something I’ve never experienced and it’s been a blessing. I love it.”

Using the Ewing loss in a positive way

“Moving past it was very difficult and to be honest, I never fully moved past it because I was able to use it in a positive way. For the first couple weeks, to be honest with you it was hard. I was avoiding it, I didn’t want to watch the fight, I didn’t want to talk about the fight. But once I got over the initial blow, that hard spot, I was able to break it down, I was able to have conversations with my coaches. I was able to see the silver lining, and I was able to use it as fuel to the fire. Even the resulting criticism from most of the internet or fanbase, it was more or less warranted, but better than anything it drove me to push myself to new limits. Not just physically, but as far as my technical skills, as far as my mentality, my psychology. I feel like a completely different fighter because of that loss, and it’s going to be amazing this Saturday. I can’t wait.”

The full UFC Vegas 117 media session with Malcolm Wellmaker can be found above.

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The post From 48 Hours Notice to a Breakout Victory: Ethyn Ewing Has Arrived appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ewing had already fought earlier this month, making it a very short turnaround on top of short notice.

Round one started with Ewing pressing the action early. He walked right into a perfectly timed counter check left hook from Wellmaker that nearly dropped him, but Ewing recovered quickly and fired back. They clinched, and Wellmaker attempted a trip, only for Ewing to respond with a clean throw. Wellmaker immediately bounced back and pinned Ewing against the cage. Ewing separated and landed a sharp combination on the break, ending the round strong with a series of knees from the clinch.

In round two, Ewing came out sharp, slipping and countering while maintaining constant pressure. He landed a clean head kick, which Wellmaker absorbed without issue. Wellmaker managed to land a solid strike, but midway through the round, Ewing began stringing together combinations, mixing punches and kicks to keep Wellmaker guessing. Wellmaker landed a hook to the body that appeared to wind Ewing slightly, but Ewing responded by turning up the pace, forcing Wellmaker to chase him. Despite missing several shots, Wellmaker landed another body hook, and Ewing countered with a brief takedown attempt. Wellmaker connected with a spinning elbow, grazing Ewing.

In the final round, Wellmaker kept pressing, targeting the body with left hooks and kicks. He landed isolated strikes, while Ewing fired in flurries, staying busy and aggressive. In the final two minutes, Wellmaker focused on maintaining distance, picking at range and attempting a takedown, which Ewing successfully sprawled. Ewing kept the pressure on, gradually turning up the heat. He landed a devastating knee to the head in the clinch and secured a takedown under a minute to go. Wellmaker scrambled back to his feet and swung until the final bell, but Ewing’s sustained aggression and striking flurries dominated the closing moments.

In the end, Ethyn Ewing pulled off the short-notice upset, earning a unanimous decision victory just a week after earning a title in Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat promotion. Not a bad way to head into the holiday season for the 27-year old.

Official Result: Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Ethan Ewing
Standing at five-foot-eight
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Anaheim Hills, California, US
Training out of CSW Training Center
A pro record of 8-2
6 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission

Credit to Ewing for stepping in on just two days’ notice against a guy most are avoiding. He literally just fought on the seventh, so this is a true quick turnaround. And shout out to the UFC: they could’ve thrown in some short-notice sacrificial lamb, but instead they brought in the A1 Combat champ, a legitimately fun fighter to watch.

Ewing started his pro career 0–2 and has since rattled off eight straight wins. He’s coming off a first-round knockout over Contender Series alum Billy Brand. He’s primarily a striker, someone you’ll almost never see initiate a takedown— and with how sharp his striking is, there’s not much reason for him to wrestle offensively. The real questions are in his wrestling and grappling defense. I don’t agree with the people saying he’s terrible there. I think he’s serviceable. Early in fights he defends well, digging underhooks, circling off, and staying composed. Where he struggles is on re-shots or extended sequences where he has to defend longer. Even then, he does enough right in scrambles that I don’t see it as some glaring liability.

His striking is what makes him special: technical, aggressive, layered. His biggest defensive issue is that he can be vulnerable in exchanges. When he’s pressing forward he moves his head off the centerline well, but in the pocket he can get too comfortable and eat clean shots. Still, he’s not someone you want to stand across from. His chin looks legit and he can sling real heat. Ewing is always pumping the jab and chaining combinations high and to the body. When he walks opponents down to the fence, that’s when he’s at his best: mixing body-head flurries with hard low kicks. He has a sharp lead left hook and can land from both stances. Add in the subtle feints and shot selection and he’s got a complete offensive package. Offensively, he couldn’t do much more; what he needs is to tighten up the defense or hope his durability holds long-term.

Overall, Ewing is a great signing and feels like someone who’ll stick around in the UFC for a while. He looks like Victor Henry, fights a bit like Josh Van, but has his own identity.

Against Wellmaker, Ewing has a real chance to pull off the upset. Wellmaker had a fast start to his career, but I’d argue Ewing beats everyone Wellmaker has beaten. The clearest path for Ewing is volume: he simply throws more. Wellmaker is known for that right hand, but he’s much more than just a hitter, he’s a polished striker whose main gap has been extended combinations. This could also be a fight where Wellmaker turns to his wrestling, because there is a lane there. I’m just not convinced his wrestling is strong enough to win him rounds against UFC-level athletes consistently.

Ewing can be knocked out (he leaves openings) but he appears to have that rock-solid chin that lets him get away with it, at least for now.

I’m predicting Ewing by upset decision.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Ethyn Ewing appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC made the announcement on Thursday.

Ewing (8-2) enters his UFC debut riding an eight-fight win streak, having last competed less than a week ago in a title bout under Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat banner. Of his eight victories, seven have come by knockout, with his lone decision win rounding out an impressive resume.

Haddon was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury, though details have not yet been disclosed. The Australian bantamweight earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series Week 2 in 2024 and made his official debut just two months later, earning a decision win over Dan Argueta.

Wellmaker (10-0) will look to keep his perfect record intact against Ewing. The undefeated bantamweight has earned notable wins over Kris Moutinho, Cameron Saaiman, and Adam Bramhald.

UFC 322 takes place Saturday Nov 15 from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The card is as follows:

• Jack Della Maddalena (C) vs. Islam Makhachev
• Valentina Shevchenko (C) vs. Weili Zhang
• #2 Sean Brady vs. #8 Michael Morales
• #4 Leon Edwards vs. #9 Carlos Prates
• #9 Beneil Dariush vs. #13 Benoit Saint-Denis
• Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
• #4 Erin Blanchfield vs. #8 Tracy Cortez
• Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Ethyn Ewing
• Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Pat Sabatini vs. Chepe Mariscal
• #12 Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
• Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico
• Viacheslav Borschev vs. Matheus Camilo

The post Cody Haddon Out Of UFC 322, Newcomer Ethyn Ewing Steps In vs Wellmaker appeared first on Cageside Press.

A fellow prospect, paired up early in their respective UFC runs. Not the sort of matchmaking you see every day from the world’s largest MMA promotion, who tend to prefer feeding their old to their young.

“Definitely a fellow prospect. I was kind of surprised that they matched us up, because it kind of goes against the narrative of building prospects,” Wellmaker (10-0) admitted during Wednesday’s UFC 322 media day, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “But it’s a great fight for us and for the fans.”

Wellmaker knows what Haddon, who saw a fight against Alexandre Topuria fall through earlier this year, brings to the table.

“As far as his skillset, he’s an accomplished amateur boxer in his country, he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and when you watch the kid fight, he is a dog. He walks forward. When he faces adversity, as far as fatigue, as far as getting hit, he leans into it. Beyond his skillset, I think that’s his most powerful trait, because that is fighting. Not all fights are pretty, and he thrives in that.”

With that in mind, it was suggested to Wellmaker on Wednesday that Haddon is a tougher fight than his original opponent. Wellmaker agreed with an asterisk.

“I do think this is a tougher fight, in a different way. Serhiy presented his challenges, and the approach was going to be much different than it is with Cody Haddon,” he replied. “But yes and no.”

In his early 30s, Malcolm Wellmaker got a late start in the UFC. The promotion has been pushing him as a potential future star however.

“Being labelled as a UFC star is crazy to me. I guess in some sense, I fit the qualifications of it.” Life, however, hasn’t changed much for Wellmaker. “My life don’t look too much different, and I just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Watch the full UFC 322 media day appearance by Malcolm Wellmaker above.

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Undefeated 135lb prospect Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0) will face off against Serhiy Sidey (12-2) at the event, which takes place on November 15, 2025 at Madison Square Garden.

Sidey confirmed the booking on social media on Thursday, following an initial report by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.

Wellmaker is 2-0 under the UFC banner with two post-fight bonuses so far. He’s thought of highly enough by the company that they recently brought him out for a media scrum during this year’s Contender Series, prior to having the Sidey fight booked.

Canadian-Ukrainian Sidey is a fellow DWCS graduate who is 2-1 inside the octagon to date. A former BTC bantamweight champ, Sidey holds back-to-back wins over Garrett Armfield and Cameron Smotherman. Somehow, he’s managed to miss both of the promotion’s Canadian stops in 2025, and will miss the UFC Vancouver card by a matter of weeks.

Still, a spot at the famed Madison Square Garden is a pretty solid consolation prize. UFC 322 is headlined by a pair of title fights in New York, NY, with the following match-ups reported for the card:

• Jack Della Maddalena (c) vs. Islam Makhachev – for the UFC welterweight championship
• Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Zhang Weili – for the UFC women’s flyweight championship
• Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
• Beneil Dariush vs. Benoît Saint Denis
• Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico
• Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
• Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
• Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
• Serhiy Sidey vs. Malcolm Wellmaker

The post Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Serhiy Sidey Set for UFC 322 in NYC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Wellmaker appeared ahead of this week’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, speaking with the media about that appearance, and when he’ll be returning to the cage.

The 10-fighter visited a local elementary school earlier this month. “I explained it to them like I was a superhero. The first slide on my little PowerPoint for the kids said Malcolm ‘The Machine’ Wellmaker, and I told them my superhero name was ‘The Machine,'” he recalled, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “And I framed it like every guy I fought was a villain, and they kind of got it, but not really.”

The kids still had a blast, and it seems like Wellmaker did as well. In general, the undefeated rising star, who has earned post-fight bonuses in both of his fights inside the octagon, seems to be having a blast period. Fans have taken to him, which might come down to Wellmaker being authentic.

“I believe in my heart that I’m a good person, I believe in my heart that if I’m just being natural and who I am, people will gravitate towards me,” he stated. “And so far it’s been working, so I’m just keeping it real.”

As for when he might return to the cage, Wellmaker doesn’t have an opponent or firm date just yet. “One hundred percent before the end of the year. I’m hoping possibly in November,” he suggested. “We’ll see what happens, but fingers crossed. I’m staying ready.”

Watch the full media appearance by Malcolm Wellmaker at DWCS 2026 Week 6 above.

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