UFC Bantamweight -star Malcolm Wellmaker has turned off how his UFC Atlanta Knockout's victory would play well before the fight.
UFC Atlanta contained the triumphant return of former champion Kamaru Usman in the main event. But on the Undercard a rising bantam weight stole the show with one of the most horrible knockouts you will ever see.
Malcolm Wellmaker and a discount on the discount on the discount on the discount on the Kort-Notice discount, Kris Moutinho, helped to kick the promotion in UFC Atlanta on Saturday. Moutinho returned to the UFC after a five-fighter-winning series outside, which came after losing Sean O'Malley and Guido Cannetti.
Wellmaker was the favorite to enter the Moutinho fight after an unbeaten run to start his career. But few could have predicted what would unfold in the Octagon, unless you are a member of Wellmaker's Inner Circle.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Malcolm Wellmaker attracted a Conor McGregor-like repetitive knockout on UFC Atlanta
Wellmaker suppressed Moutinho early with heavy low staircases, so that his opponent staggered for a few seconds in the fight. Halfway through the opening round, Wellmaker gave a low staircase and succeeded it with a right hook for Moutinho's Kin who ended the fight in a devastating way.
The right side of Wellmaker has become one of his patented techniques, as evidenced by his first round knockouts in his UFC debut and the showcase series of his Dana White's Contender Series. His ability to land it almost as desired is one of the most dangerous weapons of the Bantamweight Division.
But minutes before Wellmaker took the walk for his fight at UFC Atlanta, he practiced the knockout combination that eventually earned his third consecutive victory in the first round.
View Wellmaker Practice the Feint-to-Right Hook combination below.
Malcolm Wellmaker who practices that kick feint right hook technique before he uses it pic.twitter.com/xbvgprluna
– Squid Vicious MMA (@squidviciaousmma) 15 June 2025
Wellmaker admitted in a recent interview on the Ariel Helwani that his team saw a repeated opening that Moutinho left for the right for land. His knockout was the example of the pre-Vecht strategy textbook that flourished in a highlight-reel finish.
Rodolfo Bellato spoke to 'Fake Knockout' claims after UFC Atlanta Bout vs. Paul Craig
Later during the UFC Atlanta Prelims, the light heavyweight booking between Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig ended in one of the most bizarre stop settlements in recent MMA history.
With seconds left in the first round, Craig landed an illegal up-kick that landed Flush to Bellato's Kin, rattled the DWCS aluin and stopped the fight. The matchup was ruled as no contest.
After the incident went viral, various prominent names, including Justin Gaethje and Aljamain Sterling, accused Bellato of falsifying his reaction to the knockout. Bellato has since denied that he falsified his reaction and claimed that he “briefly lost his vision” when he was seen who struggled with the referee.
Bellato vs. Craig was again planned for UFC Atlanta after Bellato was enforced earlier this year from their planned UFC Vegas 106 matchup. The light heavyweight blamed a 'herpes' diagnosis for his hours of cancellation.