Malcolm Wellmaker is back in the Octagon on October 10 in Las Vegas. The American fighter, who recently switched camps to American Top Team, takes on Otari Tanzilovi in the bantamweight division at UFC Vegas 122.
Multiple sources confirmed the fight to Heavy.com after an initial report by Setanta Sports. Wellmaker lost his last two fights in the UFC and is in desperate search of a win. His opponent, Tanzilovi, recently made his UFC debut and lost against Shane Collins. Both fighters meet each other at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
In Search Of Redemption
Malcolm Wellmaker started his professional career in 2022 after four years fighting as an amateur and winning multiple titles. The then-28-year-old impressed in the regional scene with many finishes and won the Conflict MMA title in his sixth fight by defeating Taylor Moore. In the Summer of 2024, Wellmaker got invited to participate in the Contender Series to win a UFC contract. The American fighter got matched up with Adam Bramhald. With a highlight-reel knockout, Wellmaker finished Bramhald in the first round, earning him a deal with the UFC. In 2025, Wellmaker made his debut for the biggest promotion in the world against Cameron Saaiman. He finished the South African fighter within two minutes of the first round. It made the hype around Wellmaker only get bigger. Definitely, when he also knocked out Kris Moutinho two months later.
At the end of the year, Wellmaker fought for the third time. He was supposed to take on Serhiy Sidey, but the Canadian pulled out of the fight. Also, replacement Cody Haddon pulled out with an injury on fight week. Because of that, Wellmaker was matched with the promotional newcomer Ethyn Ewing. Ewing was a big underdog going into the fight against Wellmaker but fought great. He was able to neutralize the undefeated Wellmaker and took his undefeated status via unanimous decision. A hard loss for Wellmaker, who looked to bounce back earlier this year when he took on Juan Diaz. Diaz finished Wellmaker in the second round via a rear-naked choke. The former undefeated fighter has now lost two fights in a row. Wellmaker switched camps and now trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. He now takes on Otari Tanzilovi in Las Vegas.
Fighting For His First UFC Win
The 28-year-old Otari Tanzilovi fought the majority of his professional fights in his home country of Georgia. The bantamweight fighter started his professional career in 2018. In his fifth professional fight, he already won the Georgian Fighting Championship title by beating Vepkhia Tchintcharauli via TKO in the second round. Tanzilovi kept winning, and after wins for UAE Warriors and Octagon League, he got the call from the UFC to compete on the Contender Series. Tanzilovi was matched up with the also undefeated Josias Musasa. In a very close and not very eventful fight, Musasa won via split decision.
Tanzilovi went back to the regional scene and picked up a win against Guillermo Torres. He then returned to UAE Warriors but never fought for them again. At the beginning of last month, Tanzilovi got the phone call he was hoping for. The UFC offered him a contract, with his first fight being in seven days. Tanzilovi signed and took on Shane Collins on June 20. Collins won after three rounds via unanimous decision. Tanzilovi now returns to the Meta Apex again and fights for his first win in the UFC against Malcolm Wellmaker.
UFC Vegas 122 – October 10
- Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Otari Tanzilovi
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