Will the Hype Train of a Heavy-Hitting Bantamweight Be Cut Short?
Malcolm Wellmaker has entered the UFC like a Terminator. He has finished both of his first two opponents by devastating knockouts. His power is incredible and worthy of awe. In only his third match in the UFC, someone who is undefeated and has all this hype. He was scheduled to face Cody Haddon, who could have given serious problems, especially on the ground, but due to a broken foot, Haddon had to withdraw from the match. Stepping in on just days' notice is Ethyn Ewing. Are we going to witness another showstopping knockout for Wellmaker in a much more favorable matchup?
Wellmaker is elusive in the standup, and it allows him to move out of the way of damage coming back in his direction. He has a snapping jab that he also likes to use to the body to prevent his opponent from shooting takedowns. Also, he has a quick snapping body kick that is powerful, but his most dangerous strike is, of course, his dynamite right hook. You can’t allow him to land that shot clean, or you will go to sleep. I think in this matchup, it will all come down to the first round. With a fighter stepping in on this short notice with no real time to prepare for the versatility and explosiveness of Wellmaker, Ewing would be grateful to survive the first few minutes without being face-first into the canvas. I think we will see a hat trick and a third straight right hook, a flatlining knockout at some point. I think people are going to be surprised if Wellmaker can keep this fight on its feet.
This is going to be an exciting matchup between rising prospects in the Bantamweight Division. Wellmaker may be more than just a power striker, but we will see the full arsenal in this highly competitive matchup. With Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili looking for new challenges after his impressive title defense against Cory Sandhagen, and fans having the clear consensus that to dethrone the champ, you will need to one-punch knock him out, and there's no better challenger for that than Wellmaker. Whichever way this fight goes, you're not going to want to miss it and all the other action this Saturday, November 15th. The main card starts time of 8:00 p.m. EST.
