Latest news with #MalcolmWellmaker
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for June: Ilia Topuria calls his shot and makes history
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for June. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Steve Collins def. Gabariel Brown at LFA 210 Steve Collins (5-0) found himself defending an armbar in the first round of his 152-pound catchweight fight against Gaberial Brown (4-3). There are a few techniques available to fend off the limb submission, but Collins opted for the most savage option. Advertisement Collins got his feet under him, and deadlifted Brown high in the air, and then dropped him on his head, "Rampage" Jackson style. Brown appeared out cold from the impact with the canvas, but a few follow-up punches were landed before the referee could rush in to stop the fight. Nominee: Billy Alexander def. Zachary Siemasko at Ring of Combat 86 Billy Alexander (1-0) couldn't have fathomed a more brutal finish in his MMA debut when he put Zachary Seimasko (0-1) out cold in scary fashion. After some sloppy action that would be expected out of two professional newcomers, Alexander charged at Seimasko with a flying knee that instantly send him flying backward unconscious. Nominee: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho at UFC on ESPN 69 Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gave the Atlanta crowd what it wanted with a devastating one-punch knockout of Kris Moutinho (14-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC). Advertisement Georgia native Wellmaker continued to add to his hype as a bantamweight prospect to watch with an absolutely perfect right hook that put Moutinho out on impact and sent him face planted into the canvas less than three minutes into the fight. Nominee: Gregory Rodriguez def. Jack Hermansson at UFC 317 Gregory Rodrigues scored a vicious one-punch knockout of Jack Hermansson that will be the new standard of his highlight reel. In the first round of the middleweight bout, Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) caught Hermansson (24-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) with a clean left hand that immediately stiffened him on the canvas. One unnecessary hammer fist sealed the show. Hermansson was down for several minutes after the knockout blow connected, but eventually got back to his feet and left the octagon under his own power. The winner: Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via punches at UFC 317 Ilia Topuria has gold around his waist once again. Advertisement In the UFC 317 main event, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) knocked out Charles Oliveira in 2:27 and claimed a championship – this time, at lightweight. The fight was wild for as long as it lasted. Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) was cut in the opening minute. When he tried to drag the fight to the canvas, Topuria reversed his attempt and landed on top. Oliveira attempted a heel hook, which Topuria wiggled away from. Back on the feet, Topuria cracked him with a straight right hand that instantly snatched Oliveira's consciousness from him. Two more follow-up shots smashed Oliveira's face before the fight was waved off. Topuria, 28, won the UFC featherweight title in October. He vacated the title months later, citing weight cut issues. A breakthrough star in the Spanish and Georgian markets, Topuria became the first undefeated fighter to win a second UFC title. Cast Your Vote! This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's KO of the Month for June 2025: Ilia Topuria makes history
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Antonio Senzatela records 500th career strikeout
Malcolm Wellmaker breaks down his brutal KO at UFC Atlanta Malcolm Wellmaker, surging UFC bantamweight contender, joins after his devastating win over Kris Moutinho and gets into his KO streak, fighting in Atlanta, his childhood and early career, quitting his job as a pipefitter, and more. 2:19 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
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From the Vault: Shepherd outduels icons to win 1986 Atlanta race
Malcolm Wellmaker breaks down his brutal KO at UFC Atlanta Malcolm Wellmaker, surging UFC bantamweight contender, joins after his devastating win over Kris Moutinho and gets into his KO streak, fighting in Atlanta, his childhood and early career, quitting his job as a pipefitter, and more. 2:19 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Malcolm Wellmaker is a problem Malcolm Wellmaker is a legitimate bantamweight prospect to watch, and he showed why with a highlight-reel victory over Kris Moutinho to keep his undefeated record intact. Advertisement Although Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set up for this kind of moment in his home state of Georgia, it doesn't mean the result was a given. He still had to go out there and do it, and he did so in absolutely spectacular fashion. It was clear that Wellmaker had something special in him when he emphatically earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. That was back in August, and all he's done in the 10 months since is earn two first-round face plant knockouts in the UFC, both of which got him Performance of the Night honors. Nice start for the 31-year-old. 3. Cody Garbrandt's future Cody Garbrandt fought valiantly against Raoni Barcelos in their bantamweight bout, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and is now 3-7 in his past 10 fights. Advertisement At this point, it's probably best to understand that Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is who he is. He can beat UFC-level fighters and even be highly competitive with the upper tier on the right night, but anyone expecting him to recapture the magic that saw him become UFC champion in 2016, is probably in for an eternal wait. There was a different level of intrigue coming into this fight when we thought Garbrandt was on the final bout of his UFC contract. However, he revealed at media day that he signed a new multi-fight deal, so unless the UFC re-negs and cuts him, we are going to likely see more of him being a familiar name at 135 pounds and perhaps not much more. 2. Can Rose Namajunas rediscover title glory? Rose Namajunas showed flashes of the brilliance that made her a UFC champion twice over in her win against Miranda Maverick, even if she didn't get the finish. Advertisement Former two-time strawweight titleholder Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) claimed her third victory in five fight since moving up to women's flyweight in September 2023 when she outworked Maverick to a unanimous decision. A third-round knockdown sealed the deal in her favor, and that type of moment showed what "Thug" is truly capable of. Although she is only 32 and has just 20 professional fights, Namajunas has accomplished more than most fighters could dream. She wants to get another title in a second division, but 125-pounds is getting deeper and deeper by the day, and no matter how she tries to transform her body, it seems there are critical moments where her technique is overthrown by stronger and bigger opponents who are cutting more weight from bigger frames. We're not here to put a ceiling on Namajunas, though. In peak form, she can truly beat anyone on the women's side. The question, however, is how many more of those nights are left in her at this point. And she would probably agree with that sentiment. 1. How back is Kamaru Usman really? Kamaru Usman dug himself out of the trenches in a big way in the main event when he overcame naysayers, self-doubt and more to thwart Joaquin Buckley for one of the most critical victories of his career. Advertisement Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has been at the pinnacle of the sport that everyone chases for prolonged period of time, but then it all changed in seemingly the blink of an eye for the former long-reigning UFC welterweight champion, who found himself on a three-fight losing skid and as a betting underdog to Buckley, who was eager to take his spot. It wasn't happening on this night, however, because Usman brought Buckley's six-fight winning streak since dropping to 170 pounds to a halt by unanimous decision, and in the process showed he still has life as a contender in his own right. Usman appears to strongly believe he will be fighting for the title next against the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. The likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and more will have something to say about that, but Usman is no doubt in a far better spot than he had been if this went the other way, and no matter what he should be proud to have fended off a member of the new guard when the general expectation was he wouldn't. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Atlanta takeaways: Different futures for three former champions
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC on ESPN 69 bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed in Atlanta
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Atlanta, but left a comeback upset with its cheese out in the wind. After UFC on ESPN 69, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Atlanta. Check out the winners below – which do not include Phil Rowe's TKO comeback against Ange Loosa on the prelims. At one point during the fight, the live odds were 21-1 against Rowe to win. He finished Loosa in the third round, only to be left absent a bonus. Performance of the Night: Jose Ochoa Jose Ochoa (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) went into the second round with Cody Durden (17-8-1 MMA, 6-6-1 UFC), but wasn't interested in staying there long. After a rough loss in his promotional debut, he got his first UFC win just 11 seconds into the middle frame. Performance of the Night: Malcolm Wellmaker Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) continued to send shockwaves across the bantamweight division when he took out Kris Moutinho (14-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC) with one punch in the first round. It should be noted that Wellmaker did pretty much exactly what he was expected to do. He was the biggest betting favorite of the entire year in the UFC at as much as 20-1. Fight of the Night: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley Kamaru Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) used a wrestling-heavy attack to outwork Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) for a unanimous decision in the main event. Usman spent more than half the 25-minute fight on top in control on the canvas and grinded out a win to snap a three-fight skid. The ex-welterweight champion snapped Buckley's six-fight winning streak. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Atlanta bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed
